Scott Rulon Kunz

Scott Rulon Kunz, 47, passed away early Sunday morning, April 7, 2024.

Scott was born on the Quantico Marine Corps Base in Virginia on May 28,
1976, to parents John and Jo Ellyn Kunz. He was the second born, joining
older sister Heidi. Scott was six weeks old when he moved to the Marine
Corps Air Base in Yuma, Arizona, where younger sister Kim was born. (His
first word was airplane after constantly hearing them in the skies above.) In
1979, John completed active duty and moved the family to Orem, Utah to
attend BYU law school. Three more siblings—Richard, Courtney, and
Melissa—were born there a short time later. In 1989, the family moved to
Aurora, Colorado where Scott lived the remainder of his life.

Scott spent his childhood playing outside with his siblings and best friends,
Mike and Errol. They loved wading amongst Mike's cherry trees in the
irrigated orchards, riding bikes everywhere, and backyard camping. Scott
loved fishing with Errol and his Boy Scout troop. He was also very athletic
and loved all sports. The boys played countless games of baseball in
Mike's horse pasture where Scott earned the nickname "Jose Canseco" for
his powerful slugging. Besides baseball, Scott was a natural at ping pong
and played many tournaments with family and friends. He was also a
self-taught tennis player and walked on the team his senior year of high
school. At the state tournament, he and his doubles partner beat their rival,
Cherry Creek, which gave them lifelong bragging rights.

In 1991, Scott went on an epic outdoor adventure camp, climbing
mountains and learning wilderness survival skills. Once home, he
announced he was going to be an Eagle Scout, and he achieved his goal
the following summer!

During high school, Scott played in concert and marching band, excelling at
both trumpet and French horn. He also loved skateboarding for hours on
end with friends. His skating morphed into snowboarding, and he spent the
bulk of his time riding Vail with his friend Ryan. One day, Mom asked Scott
about his snowboarding adventures. He replied, "We find cliffs to ride our
boards over…but don't worry! Ryan goes first to make sure it's safe!"
Scott graduated from Rangeview High School in 1994 and completed two
years at the University of Northern Colorado, Greeley.

Scott started working when he was 15 years old and never let up. One
summer, Scott and Rich lived with their grandparents, Bob and Joan
Lininger, in Lakeport, California. They worked in the pear orchards driving a
tractor 12 hours a day. Scott loved California and stayed there until late fall
to work at the local winery during the grape harvest. But Colorado soon
called him home, and he moved back to work for Discount Tire. Speaking
of Colorado, Scott was an avid fan of every Colorado team. He especially
loved watching Broncos games with Heidi and his daughter Teigan—all
donning their favorite jerseys—while eating "football snacks" together.

Scott left Discount to work at Pearson Publishing Company where he
managed a team of 15–20 individuals. Scott was their "go-to" guy, often
handling work emergencies calmly and competently. When Pearson chose
to cease operations in Colorado, Scott went to work for his brother-in-law,
Derrick, at Painting Plus in Boulder, Colorado. He was the Operations
Manager there for eight years until the time of his death.

As an adult, Scott enjoyed hobbies such as golf, billiards, poker, and video
games, but his main passion was found late in life; He discovered
battery-powered model airplanes. Scott practiced many hours with a
training simulator before he ever took the controls of a model aircraft. He
quickly became a dedicated and proficient pilot and befriended fellow pilots
at the airport. He proudly recounted stories of "old timers" admiring his
flying skills. Scott built up a fleet of model airplanes which he proudly hung
on his ceiling. It comforts us to think that just like his model planes, Scott's
spirit is now soaring free from earthly restraints.

Scott is survived by his three children: Emily (20), Ryley (18), and Teigan
(8). He desperately loved his girls despite his limitations in being with them.
They were his world and his heart. Additionally, Scott is survived by his
parents, John and JoEllyn; his siblings Heidi Kunz, Kim (Chris) Powell,
Richard (Andrea) Kunz, Courtney (Derrick) Packard, Melissa (Dan Gay)
Kunz; and numerous nieces and nephews.

The family wishes to thank everyone for their love, support, and comforting
words during this difficult time. We believe that families are eternal because
of Jesus Christ, and we have hope that we will see Scott again.

Scott will be interred in the Saint Simeon Catholic Cemetery in Aurora.