Scott Allen Betts' Obituary
Scott Allen Betts, 53, of Memphis, TN, passed away suddenly but peacefully at his home on February 1st, 2026.
Scott was born at Baptist Hospital in Memphis, the son of Aubrey Allen Betts III (Skip) and the late Ruth Ann Betts (nee Stroud), with his beloved aunt Janet Stroud in attendance. He attended Dogwood Elementary, Germantown Middle and High Schools, graduating in 1991. In High School he worked under the tutelage of Frank Bluestein at Germantown Community Television and the Poplar Pike Playhouse, as well as at his family’s restaurants including Café on the Square in Collierville. Scott earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, graduating in 1997 after a co-op at Lexmark in Lexington, Kentucky. He was then hired by a software development company that later merged with Bentley Systems in Huntsville, Alabama, for whom he worked until 2014. Afterwards he became a franchisee for Camp Bow Wow and Any Lab Test Now. He has been retired since 2023.
Scott met his future husband John Haigler Purvis at dinner with mutual friends at Celtic Crossing in Cooper-Young on a cold December night in 2006. They had their first official date at a performance of Spamalot at the Orpheum Theatre in Memphis on February 17th, 2007. They dated long-distance for 5 years, and moved in together at the end of 2011. Scott proposed marriage to John over a plate of calamari at a long-forgotten seafood restaurant in East Memphis, and on April 9th, 2016, Scott and John were wed in the presence of family and friends. They have spent the last ten years traveling the country and exploring the world, and had so many more adventures planned.
Scott is survived by his husband John, their two cats Orville and Wilbur, Scott’s father Skip and stepmother Maria, innumerable aunts and uncles and cousins, and the best group for friends anyone can imagine having. They are all devastated by his sudden passing, and will always remember him for his wicked sense of humor, his incredibly generous nature, and his loyal and loving friendship.
A celebration of Scott’s life will be held at Memorial Park Funeral Home on Wednesday, February 11th, at 11am. Visitation will be held at 10am. A reception for friends and family will follow the 11am service.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to:
The University of Tennessee Knoxville Scholarship Fund https://give.utk.edu/campaigns/42950/donations/new?_gl=1*1ducx54*_ga*Nzg5NDQwMzk1LjE3NzAwNjAzNDM.*_ga_459EKBVHD1*czE3NzAwNjAzNDMkbzEkZzEkdDE3NzAwNjAzNTQkajQ5JGwwJGgw
The Planetary Society https://www.planetary.org/support-projects
The Trevor Project https://give.thetrevorproject.org/give/f6952803/#!/donation/checkout
The House of Mews https://houseofmews.com/
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