I interviewed with Bill while he was at Netflix. He was the only person I've ever interviewed with who kept in touch even though I didn't get the job. He was very easy to talk to and very generous with his connections. He will be missed greatly.

I had met Bill only recently, as he joined my company, Pratexo, on the Advisory Board. Even though we only had a short time together, he gave me wise advice every time I spoke to him and made some important connections that are affecting my business to this day. Thank you, Bill - like everyone else, I only wish we had more time together.

So my short story is this: So I was at PayPal under a short contract (7 weeks) and 4 weeks into it we still hadn't been issued computers. I said "Don't make me talk to Bill Scott." Our handlers said "You know Bill Scott?" to which I replied "Yes, I teach or tutor a few of his kids." Then we saw Bill in some random hallway "Hey, Bill" "Hey, Bob." The very next day we had computers. Coincidence? maybe, maybe not.

Together, we taught ourselves how to write code. I met Bill in 1983 when we were both attending Angelina Jr. College and shared a few classes. I was fresh out of high school. I still remember that first moment of meeting him in a math class. I was admiring his high-tech (for that day) calculator. He proceeded to show me how fantastic it was. How can a person be so passionate about something as simple as a calculator, I asked myself. So much so that I had to go buy the exact same model from Radio Shack the next day. We instantly became friends. His magnetic personality was irresistible. He was so much fun to be around. I remember blowing my drink out of my nose in the library one day when he made me laugh so very hard. We went on to create the Mac version of GATO together in 1985. I thoroughly enjoyed those amazing few years when we were so connected, and meeting and knowing his family, Ruth and two young boys at the time, was a super added bonus. We went in different directions and didn't keep in touch much over so many years now. We did have brunch once, I believe in 2013 or so, when he happened to be "in the neighborhood". I regret that I didn't spend more time being connected with him and family. It's difficult to put into words what an amazing soul has left this world, and how much sadness it has brought to me, as I'm sure it has to every other of the countless souls that he encountered. Just like that first calculator moment, Bill was passionate in everything he did. I am truly blessed to have had the chance to know him. Rest in peace, my friend. You are dearly missed.

Bill an I went to school together and graduated together at Central, I remember riding bicycles with him and we rode to Wells one time, it would take me about 30 minutes just to get to his house on a bike back then.  I would buy small calves off him and his dad....15 dollars each.......they had a dairy back then........been a long time since those school days but fond memories, Sincerely, Mark P.

We too were shocked when we heard of Bill's passing. He was so full of life; he had a cheerful attitude towards life. I can almost hear him laughing at one of his jokes. He was very interesting to talk to because he had a very interesting childhood and past. Bill and I first met at the Martus book store men's Bible study on Tuesday night. That study remains my favorite of all the studies I have been in over my many years. Visualize 30 men in a big circle, many of them sharing from their hearts and those left seemed to wonder what was going on. The Holy Spirit seemed to be at work. A transplanted Philadelphia lawyer by the name of,Gerad Rosso, was in the Martus Book Store group. Gerad sensed the Lord telling him to serve his church. He attended Denton Bible Church at that time. That prompting resulted in Gerad picking 4 men ( Doug Herzog, Les Mandeville, Arlo Larson, and Bill Scott) to leave the Martus study and start a men's group at Denton Bible Church on Tuesday nights. That study lasted a few years and grew in size comparable with the Martus group. Bill and I would sometimes stay after the study was over and talk about any number of topics: politics, religion, marriage, men's struggles with pornography, coming of end times, the Bible and prayer,  nothing was off limits to our discussions. That is what made Bill's friendship so special. We had a kindred spirit and a desire to know God better. In addition to the men's study Bill and his wife, Ruth, Ed and Nancy Gibson, Todd and Louise Judy, Craig and Gail Lewis, Carter and Marion Higgins, and Arlo and Sheila Larson were in a small group at Denton Bible Church.  Ed and Nancy led the group and it too was very special. Our text was called Ten Great Dates. I remember the  very first meeting we had; we shared our personal testimonies. Nine o'clock came much too fast but nobody moved. It was like each and every one of us was spellbound. I remember Ruth answering my question with the verses in Lamentations 3: 22-23. "The faithful love of the Lord never ends.  His mercies never cease. Great is is thy faithfulness: His mercies begin afresh each morning. " Bill and Ruth treated us kindly. They moved away from Texas to California so we had missed them for a while before Bill's passing. Let's put it this way, the Scott family were out of sight but not out of our minds.  Texas' loss was California's gain. I called him Uncle Bill because I have a brother-in-law named Bill that could almost be his twin. I wish I had a picture of the two of them standing together. "Uncle Bill" (a name of endearment} used to threaten to greet me with a holy kiss(see also Pauline epistles). We will miss our "Uncle Bill", the one that lived in California and his dear wife Ruth. If I had it to do all over again, I would let him greet me with a holy kiss. Bill I look forward to picking up where we left off when I get there.

I knew Ruth from South Valley Community Church. On February 5th 2019 we ran into Ruth and her husband Bill at Henry Coe Park, we took our grandsons to see and play in the snow for the first time in their lives. I remember talking to Bill about retirement and how much he enjoyed it, it allowed him to enjoy such an extraordinary day in Morgan Hill. He had such a twinkle in his eyes about the magic of being able to take his grandchildren to the snow as well and doing other things spontaneously. You can see Bill standing behind us, and Ruth bending over in the background, along with their grandchildren.

I have very fond memories with Uncle Bill. He had a way of making you feel included even if you had no idea what he was talking about. For me, that was his tech world. He was so passionate about everything he did. His excitement would just draw you into his story. Where we connected was travel and the world of massage therapy. He would tell of his world travels and foreign massage experiences. As a massage therapist, I was always fascinated by his stories. During one conversation I was telling him about a therapy tool that my PT had suggested. It was 2 lacrosse balls taped together but I wanted an option where they were connected permanently. He took that idea and went to someone he knew and then mailed me the finished product. Two lacrosse balls attached with a metal rod through them. I still have it. Several times when he visited Philly, he’d come get a massage from me. Not long after I’d moved into a new office he was asking me what my vision was for it. I told him the kind of window sign I was envisioning and that I’d found a place that could make it. I was still saving money to purchase it but Uncle Bill wanted me to have it and so he gave me the money to have it made. I still have that sign. He loved getting people together and on every Philly trip he’d invite the relatives and take us to dinner. When he and Aunt Ruth were living in NYC, I had the opportunity on several occasions to go visit. During one visit, He and I walked for I don’t even know how many blocks talking and taking photos. We walked so far that we had to call an Uber to get back to their apartment. I also had the privilege of traveling with Uncle Bill and Aunt Ruth to England and Scotland. That trip was such a wonderful experience to get to know Him even better and I will forever treasure those memories. He was a very kind, talented and generous man who loved family and gave of his time, talents and resources. He will be greatly missed on earth but I have hope because I’ll see him again in heaven. I know the photographer in him is blown away by how beautiful heaven is.

He didn't know it, but over the past 15 years, Bill was the first person I reached out to when my life was somehow in transition. Our first 1:1 meeting was at Yahoo. He spoke of the old magic books then as his current source of inspiration. He was a dream of a mentor and I always marveled at his ability to rise above the messy parts of the tech industry, and of life in general. He was the very best of us. I talked about him and circulated his work to so many people. I recruited as many attendees as I could when he spoke to the design community at Microsoft. I encouraged others to go work with him if they ever had the chance. The last time I saw him in person, we had lunch outside at PayPal. Afterward, he walked me around making introductions and praising me to anyone who would listen. To know Bill was to be in awe of what a quality person he was. To receive praise from HIM somehow never felt right, but it was a gift. He was so generous. I’m so grateful I pushed through the awkwardness of it and told him that day how much he meant to me and that our meeting ended with a hug. Love you Bill. I can barely believe a human person like you existed. I'll miss you and you will stay in my heart forever.

Blessed are those whose lives were touched by an amazing leader like Bill! 9 years ago I reached out to Bill after reading his blog "Looks good works great" with a note on how his thoughts resonated with me. Bill then put me in touch with Marc Kocher to chat about opportunities at PayPal and therein started my journey at PayPal. I have learnt a ton from his unique strong people leadership style and hope to carry forward the legacy in my own small modest way. He amazed me at how he identified exceptional talent with just small bursts of conversations. He had amazing vision into future of technologies and brought modernization in web development at PayPal effortlessly by hiring some of the best minds. He also knew how to put talented people at the right place and right time so they can blossom and see accelerated growth. I always watched and learnt silently on his ability to win a room by reaching across the aisle by building trust. I will be ever grateful for the awesome folks I made friends with because of Bill!! Bill also stood out as a people leader. He earnestly made time if you reached out and asked for mentorship and guidance. I lost my granddad when I was in Bill's team and I was shattered as I was very close to him. Bill's empathy moved me greatly, when he asked me to take the time to travel to India and grieve without any guilt of taking off from work. I desperately needed it and I am ever grateful for his support. He could see and empathize with genuineness thats hard to find in this day and age. Thank you Bill for everything! Indeed, blessed are those whose lives were touched by an amazing leader like Bill!

I am still processing this and picturing Bill and having his voice echo in my head. I met Bill for the first time around 6 years ago at a Facebook leadership dinner and we instantly became friends. That evening we pretty much ignored everything else around us and just had a great time hanging out for hours. The next morning he sent me $1 on Venmo saying "Thanks for the therapy session last night :)" and our friendship grew ever since. I am extremely sad that I won't get to see him again. But I'm thankful to have known him and been his friend these last few years.

I am still processing this, so the words don’t come easily. Bill was a friend and mentor. I learned from Bill what real leadership is and what it means. He was a sounding board and a cheerleader. I can not count how many times I’ve referenced something Bill had said to me over the years. He will be greatly missed and his passing leaves an unfillable void. But how grateful I am to have known him over these many years, and that is what I will try to hold on to. I miss you, my friend.

Bill was a great storyteller who wove together his charm and kindness with humor and enthusiasm and just the right amount of skepticism. It was always a pleasure to spend time with him and learn something about what was going on with him and his world. I miss him.

It's been about a week now and I still have trouble processing that Bill has passed. I worked with him briefly, twice, at Netflix but remained friends with him ever since. We shared a passion for food, humor, and travel. Seeing all the memorials being posted by people all over the world is not surprising to me in the least. Bill was a light for everyone he met. And without doubt one of the nicest, smartest, most empathic, and generous souls that I've ever met. While I will miss his humor and wise counsel, I feel infinitely better for having had the opportunity to be friends with him at all.

I will never be able to have Somali food or their wonderful Basbaas “green sauce” without thinking of my dear Uncle Bill. When we all were, by chance visiting family in Columbus OH a few years back Uncle Bill started talking to a Somali friend about how great their “green sauce” was. Because of his knowledge of the food and complimenting it, our friend ended up bringing a huge, delicious meal over with a load of the hot, “green sauce” for us all to enjoy. To this day it is one of my favorite dishes. It’s interesting how different we both are and how different our walks of life were. But when we did get to sit down together, normally over a cup of coffee, and talk we would instantly connect. My fondest moment with him is just about two weeks before his passing when we went out to grab some coffee together. We talked about everything it seemed, coffee, culture, justice issues, a little bit of politics, the church and our faith. The most touching thing that he said to me was “through all of my doubts and questioning that God existed, what always drew me back was Jesus.” I will always treasure that time we had together. Even though at the time I never thought it would be the last time we would talk on this earth; I feel quite blessed to have had that surprise stop in and visit just a few short weeks before his going home to be with The One who drew him back to Himself. Uncle Bill I love you and I will miss you. by Nathan Rinear

Ruth- Bill was named after Grandpa Burns. Bill, such a common name for an extraordinary person. Bill was the youngest brother in age, but he was always the oldest, wisest brother to James and me. He was always willing to offer help to any anyone he ever met. I’ll bet I asked him 36,789 questions about computers, tech issues and he gave me 36,789 answers, all of them good ones. If you knew Bill- he was never going to take the straight road. It was always the winding road, where you were worried he would take a wrong turn here and there, but he always got there. The winding road. Preaching-Attending Hyles-Anderson College (and because of that, fate intervened and he met you). Moving to Pennsylvania, moving overseas, then not moving overseas, becoming a computer nerd, leaving the Texas Silicon Prairie for the California Silicon Valley, Yahoo, Netflix, Paypal, Venmo and all the other tech companies I could never quite keep up with. Every so often you’d get a call from an excited Bill telling you he had left his job that he was doing great at to take a new one. And Mom would be so worried he was taking too big a chance and something would go wrong, but other than a few setbacks, it never did. Thinking back at the memories of Bill, he always had a passion to try something new. He would go all in. All in on Magic-His Traveling Coins trick was amazing. To be a good magician, you had to have ‘patter’, (the ability to talk). Bill had the patter. That was the best part of his magic. All In on CB radios- Bill would stay up all night talking to people around the world and making friends with people he would never see. All In on Roller Skating- Bill determined to set a Guinness World Record for Roller Skating backwards. Bill had to do it differently than anyone else. Snockey Ball in the backyard (Purists call it Wiffle Ball, but we preferred Snockey Ball). It started with just Bill, James and me. Later the Snockey Ball games got bigger as Bill and you added more Snockey Ball players to the family. Chicken House Mini-Golf. Bill designed a 9-hole golf course in Dad’s big old abandoned chicken house. It had swinging obstacles, water hazards and everything you could imagine. We could have charged admissions except for the smell of the golf course. Ratty the Hamster- Bill’s hamster that Bill cleverly named ‘Ratty’ we could never keep in the cage and finally never was seen again. One of our many cats was a prime suspect for his disappearance. Dad Jokes- Not Dad-jokes as everyone thinks of now, but jokes about Dad, things that he said or did that would put a smile on your faces reliving them. Bodan Creek Flood- The time you and Bill drove your car to the Bodan when the road was completely underwater. Mom went bonkers over that. Motorcycling-Another thing that drove Mom crazy was Bill and that #*&% motorcycle! She was so happy when he finally got rid of it. Christmas- It was never really Christmas unless Bill, you and the kids were over to share it. All the 200 gifts Mom would get for each kid. Dad’s joke gifts he’d put in wrapping paper where you knew immediately it was from him. Usually some random object he found in the yard and wrapped up. Pollok Visits- Bill coming over and we’d have the TV on and wouldn’t pay attention to it at all and talk for hours and hours (You’d finally say I’m going to bed) and leave us there still talking for just a bit, another bit and another bit longer. Where In the World Is Bill Scott Game?- Bill was always off somewhere , you never knew where, all over the world, all over California and every park you can imagine. Catch-Up Calls- Bill excitedly calling and talking (of course with Bill, it would last for hours) about what he’s doing, what he’s planning, what the kids and grandkids were up to and us talking and laughing about the crazy world and what we hoped would happen. Our Last Visit- I look back and feel fortunate that you and Bill stopped over at my house this year. To see him in person, to hear his voice and how he was still so excited about what was next for him and you. I’m thinking there was only one creature on Earth that didn’t like Bill and that was my kitten Sandy. I guess she could sense Bill was a dog person. One last Luftwaffe-Swapping. The object of this family tradition between Bill and me was to stick the other person with crazy complicated Avalon Hill game Bill bought me one Christmas.. Bill would usually get the better of me in this family tradition. This time, with your help Bill was unknowingly stuck taking Luftwaffe hidden in his van. Oh, how I wish he were still able to get me again by leaving Luftwaffe somewhere in my house! Wow! We were so lucky to have him in our lives! The great thing about Bill was you and he had such a large loving family, made so many friends, touched so many lives that he will be immortal, living in everyone’s memories. Kids, grandkids and their kids….on and on and on while there are people still here on Earth. So great that Bill was able to see and hold one last grandkid, Ledger. Bill was a great brother, a great husband, a great Dad, great ‘Poppa’, great friend, great human being. He was so lucky to have found his soul mate in you! Bill’s favorite singer John Prine passed away last year and his last song  was ‘I Remember Everything’. We should all be so blessed to remember everything about Bill’s life. Love, Van

Bill inspires me and everyone around him.  Not just when we worked together at PayPal; also long afterwards...  We started at PayPal at the same time and we sat right across from each other, so I got to see his lovely family visiting him often.  We also both worked at Yahoo! and knew many of the same people there and started to bring the people we knew from Yahoo to PayPal too.   I inherited the checkout team with the typical problem of an old code base that had gone through hundreds of remodeling to meet new demands.  The monolithic code base was a giant hairball that could not just be remodelled to fix the problems, we needed a complete rebuild.  This led to my best memory at PayPal - project Hermes. We worked with Bill's team day and night to completely rewrite the checkout experience - brand new design from ground up, new Node.js technology stack, and using new agile scrum process - all 3 major changes at the same time.  We did what almost everyone thought was impossible with 101 reasons - we can't change this, we can't touch that, it would take a year to do that, have to wait until the holiday season moratorium is over next year...    One of my former bosses at Yahoo taught me that "Go to work every day willing to be fired" - leaders need to have the courage to do the right thing even if it means you take the risk that things may not work out but you can sleep at night.  The transformation to Node.js was one of those risky things that could easily fail without Bill’s foresight and conviction. It may seem obvious now that of course Node.js is a great choice.  But, it was almost 10 years ago when Node was mainly used by progressive startups and few large companies would take the risk of adopting Node.js that early.  If you have worked at big companies like PayPal, you may appreciate how impossible it is to drive this type of change especially at a successful payment company where every bug may cost millions of dollars and millions of unhappy customers.  Nothing gets done without the support of 10 other teams at PayPal and I can't think of anyone who could have pulled this level of transformation off other than Bill - a master in both technology and getting things done through influence. His influence at PayPal was beyond technology transformation.  More importantly, he put his fingerprint on how PayPal attracts, hires, and promotes talent.  He personally brought in and promoted many key leaders at PayPal.  We sat through many of the ridiculously long promotion calibration meetings throughout the years. These promotion meetings are where I gained most  insight on how other leaders think.  He went out of his way to help pull up the very few people from the under-represented groups and supported both people who worked for him and also outside of his group.  He mentored people even when his own calendar was packed beyond reason.  He also advocated many positive changes to the hiring process. He was an incredible chef and loved to cook for people.  Every time we hit some milestones, I would just take the easy route of catering food to celebrate.  Not Bill, he would spend days planning out the menu and personally marinate the BBQ with his special blend of spices for the team.  He and his family would show up with boxes and boxes of special homemade gourmet food that I still miss:).  Thank you Ruth and family! He was so generous that he naturally helped people without people having to ask for his help. After PayPal, we stayed in touch only a bit (I am terrible at staying in touch with people). The few times he reached out to me, it was always about connecting me with others and always people from the under-represented groups who I may be able to help.  It was never about him, it was always about helping others.  When I started my company, I told him my idea and he immediately understood my vision and offered to invest probably even before we got our food delivered to our lunch table.  He immediately went straight to listing the people who could also help me.  I know how busy he was and still have no idea how he could possibly find time to constantly help and connect people.  His inspiration will stay with me and the people he generously touched forever.   I had it in my todo list to connect with him and catch up since he transitioned to be an advisor at Transposit.  I was staring at my to-do list to ping Bill when the news came into my inbox.  I was shocked beyond belief and felt so guilty that I kept on putting off meeting with him.  I then realized that I never told him how much I appreciated his friendship, mentorship, and support over the years and now I won't have the chance to tell him in person.  I felt so bad that I went outside with tears in my eyes and just walked and walked and talked to the sky pretending that he is up there and can still hear me.  I talked about the time we shared together and how much I respect and appreciate him and hope that somehow he can still sense that. Ruth and family, I can't imagine what you are going through knowing how close you are with Bill.  He is one of a kind and his legacy will live on through your family and all the people he has touched around him.  

I first met Bill in 2005 at a tech industry event. It would be the beginning of a long friendship across his time at Sabre, Yahoo, Netflix, PayPal, and his other adventures. Bill was one of my favorite people. His energy was infectious, and his scheming constant. Every few months we’d reconnect and talk about some crazy idea we’d want to do together. Over time, I’d come to consider him a close friend, and one of a small handful that I wanted to spend my free time with. I feel his loss so profoundly. I miss you Bill.

I have so many good memories of you Mr. Scott. You were a blessing in my life on many occasions. It’s crazy that I have known you and your family since I was 12. You and Mrs. Scott are like second parents, even tho I didn’t see you much after the move. I always felt so very welcomed and loved in y’all’s home, and practically lived with y’all at different points in time. Countless great times hanging at y’all’s place. True family. You were always there with a big hug and smile and fun. I loved your sense of humor, listening in on your and my dad’s deep conversations, the way you told the best stories, and how much you cared about people. You really cared. I cherish the memories of the last time I saw you in Dallas. I remember we did a lot of laughing as you recounted hilarious stories while we all sat around eating Thai. Tear-stained goodbye, and I love you. 

Scott family, I am so saddened for your loss, and love y’all so much. Each of you will always hold a very special place in my heart. You are constantly in my thoughts and prayers. ❤️

Surreal. That's the best way to describe my birthday this year. When I think about what it means to "adult," or "grow up," or just age, I often think about opportunity. Specifically, and simply, the opportunity of time. With time we gain experience. If we allow it, we gain knowledge and new ideas. If we are intentional about it we can fundamentally shift our experience of life. And then there are the special individuals who use their time to fundamentally shift the lives of people around them. Those who make you feel truly known when you most need it, challenge you to not waste the precious time you have, give you confidence in yourself when you're struggling to find it, use their resources to create opportunity for you, and simply believe in you. Not everyone gets to have someone like this in their lives, and I'm sure all of us have squandered at least one opportunity to let someone like this in. But, on the random chance that you're like me and have a friend-of-a-colleague 2500 miles away make an introduction between a twenty-something wide-eyed Michigander without a plan and a Texas transplant with a big love for life (and even bigger love for his big family): don't squander it. It might just change your life. I miss you, Bill.

I have been blessed to know Bill as the husband of my dear friend Ruth for the better part of a decade. Their love for children inspired me deeply while my family grew. How I will miss hearing his mild Texan drawl offer me a cup of perfectly-brewed coffee when I visit. How different the world will seem without the couple, the “US-ness,” the unique relationship of Ruth and Bill. Yet I am certain that the easy hospitality, the friendliness, the commitment to excellence, the respect, and the affection will live on in their children, grandchildren, and those of us blessed to know them. May your heavenly retirement be beautiful and blessed. We who are left will do our best to take care of Ruth until she finishes the work God has given her on this earth.

Early on when I first met Bill, he described startups to me as an intellectual team sport. That statement stuck with me because it helped me understand how someone like Bill could continue to be so passionate every day about the work he did. He loved coaching people, helping them reach their highest potential. The morning of his passing, he had reached out to a few of us on the Transposit team, checking in and seeing how he could help. He told me that he was never going to officially retire again because advising and helping teams grow was his life's work. His family was of course his number one team, but he had so much to give he continued to take on new teams. I feel so fortunate that I got to work with Bill to build our engineering team at Transposit. I hope to help carry on his legacy by never forgetting that teams are all about the people. Thank you Ruth for sharing Bill with all of us. My heart goes out to you and your family.

I’m praising God for the fact that He could form a man like Bill Scott who could rise from a beautiful little country community in East Texas all the way to the center of helping bring the world into a new mode of communication.

Go with God, Bill.  Rest peacefully, and may God lead your family through healing and becoming all that he wants of them.

Ruth, I’m having trouble processing this loss.

Bill - one of a kind, irreplaceable, fun, funny, SMART, happy (maybe that was when he was around me 😊), hard worker, family man, exploratory cook, coffee lover (though I don’t know why 🙄), good man, and FRIEND.  This man of yours, who probably knew half of the earth’s population, will never be forgotten. I’m sorry for the world’s loss.

I will pray for you and your family.