Randy Scales

Jack Randall (“Randy”) Scales, 68, of Grand Rapids, passed away on December 25 surrounded by loved ones.

Randy was born on October 29, 1952, in Bakersfield, CA, to Jack and Mary Lou Scales, and graduated from Foothills High School after excelling in the classroom and on the basketball court. He joined the Navy after high school, which took him to Hawaii where he fell in love with the scenery and lived for 15 years prior to moving back to California and then Michigan.

Randy would drop anything to help someone in need, and always rooted for the underdog. He enjoyed coaching his son’s sports for many years and pushed kids to work harder than they thought they were capable of. Randy loved animals (especially, most recently, his beloved boxer dog Rudy). He was strong-willed and quick to let you know exactly how he felt about things. During a spirited debate he was known to quip “well, if I agreed with you then we would both be wrong.” He was a big man with a huge presence, but was truly a teddy bear beneath the tough exterior. His passing on Christmas is somewhat ironic given that he played Santa for family and friends for many years and loved to spread holiday cheer. Randy instilled three axioms in his children at an early age, and they have never forgotten them: 1) “Good enough” isn’t. 2) If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got. 3) Treat every man as a gentleman, not because they are, but because you are.

Randy is survived by his mother, Mary Lou Scales; his former wife, Judy Scales; his sister Karen (Allan) Galyan, his brothers Mike (Gloria) Scales and David (Donna) Scales; his two children Gretchen (Bill) Rogers and Travis (Nicole) Scales; his grandchildren Autumn (Scott) Wagner, Cassie (Jacob) Stacey, Caden and Lochlan Scales; and his great-grandchildren Nathan, Brody, Charlotte, Serene and Camille.

To share a memory or to sign his guestbook, visit www.heritagelifestory.com