L Scott McNamara's Obituary
It is with profound sadness that the family of L. Scott McNamara, 67, of Miami, and formerly of Arlington, Va., announce his passing after a brief illness, on Sunday, August 22, 2021.
Scott was predeceased in life by his parents, John and Barbara McNamara; sister, Nancy Butler; brother-in-law, Jackson Henry; and dear friend, David Shingler.
Scott was born in Melrose, Ma. on May 22, 1954 and raised in nearby Wakefield as the youngest of five. Scott would laughingly share, that there as a little boy, he knew he was destined to work in fashion as he would meticulously style his school ensembles to lay at the foot of his bed each night. In the early 1960s his family moved to Bowie, Md. where as a teen he began to create the playlist of his life from a growing record collection of diverse artists and genres from singer-songwriter to Motown to pop and rock. The fashion bug that bit him early led to an after-school job selling women’s clothing at The Colony Shop, a boutique just a stone’s throw from his backyard. He graduated from Bowie High School in 1972 and as the years would reveal, Scott’s passion for music and fashion would remain at the core of his career aspirations, creative expression and attraction to kindred spirits.
Scott went on to attend Kent State University and studied Fine Arts with an emphasis in painting. In the early years after the May 4th Massacre, many musicians performing in Cleveland made a point to add a gig at KSU where Scott would strategically volunteer as a concert usher. What he would save on tickets he would spend on newly-released albums for the tours of visiting pre-iconic artists such as The Eagles, Carly Simon, and Elton John. However, it was a Joni Mitchell performance in the city that would ignite his lifelong reverence for her as his favorite all-time artist. At KSU, Scott also sold jeans and designed creative window displays at The Village Shop where his innate hipness, magnetic personality and natural ability to help others feel good about themselves attracted both sales and sociability until he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1976.
Back home in the D.C. Metro area Scott found a perfect fit at Saks Fifth Avenue, Chevy Chase, in better women’s apparel sales for several years. After establishing himself in the fashion community, he then seized an opportunity to take his creativity on the road in an integral role with Image Model Management/McConaghy Productions. There his talents and contributions as a stylist, music programmer, set designer and emcee coalesced into dynamic fashion shows in malls, casinos and other venues up and down the east coast. By this time, Scott had amassed an enviable collection of music and had found a joyful past time creating eclectic party and dance mixes for soirées and weddings of friends and family. In 1987 Scott would return to Saks Fifth Avenue as a Sales Director to several high-end consultants in the women’s couture salon, styling D.C. insiders, politicos, and visiting luminaries. In 1996, after many trips to Miami during the revitalization of its Art Deco District, Scott found a new home at Saks in Bal Harbour, Fl. styling an eclectic international clientele, making frequent New York market trips to strategize with buyers, network with young designers such as Zack Posen and Yigal Azrouel, become a Michael Kors Brand Ambassador and participate in many charitable and philanthropic events. In both work and leisure time Scott was often star-struck amidst the vibrant Miami celebrity scene, forming friendships with Grace Jones and Taylor Dayne and on one particularly stellar evening, chatting with musician, Seal, about what it was like to duet with their mutual idol, Joni Mitchell, on the song “If I Could.”
In 2012, after nearly thirty combined years at Saks Fifth Avenue with loyal client relationships that had spanned decades, Scott would devote his retail savvy to clients of a furrier demographic, as Boutique Manager at Humane Society of Greater Miami and also as a pet adoption counselor for the vulnerable animals in his community. After tripling their boutique revenue, in 2014 Scott returned to couture as a Sales Supervisor for Gucci at Neiman Marcus, Bal Harbour, where he was the top-selling sales associate each year until the store closed in 2020 during Covid-19. Not long after, Scott would find meaningful purpose with Scott’s Dogs Inc., his home-based dog-walking and boarding business, assisted by his mellow, one-eyed rescue pooch, Carly, a grateful recipient of Scott’s compassion for these unconditionally loving beings.
Scott’s legacy will be a kaleidoscope of memories forever woven into the fabric of our shared humanity with him: the true-blue friendships we made, the stories we told, the “family” we communed with, the rituals we created, the values we shared, the laughter we bathed in, the clothing we felt fabulous in, the concerts we freaked out to, the Dear Ones we lost, the beaches we basked on, the music we vibrated to, the inhumanity we rejected, the obstacles we overcame, the successes we celebrated, the animals we loved, the politics we vented, the birthdays we counted and onward in the friendships we may make, rekindle or fortifify as we connect in our shared grief of his leaving us so soon and so suddenly. In these extraordinary times of physical distancing, reaching out to “check-in” with friends and family as Scott so devoutly did with so many from all seasons of his life, would be his legacy living through us and truly honor the memory of our magnetic, creative, passionate, singular Scott.
Scott will be lovingly remembered by his sister, Judith Henry; brothers, Robert Sallé and J. Daniel McNamara (Kate); brother-in-law, William Butler; nieces, Jane Julian (Robert), Jill Roberts (Stephen), Ashley McNamara, Jill Bronson (Jay) and Julie Butler (Chad); nephew, Scott Henry (Michelle); numerous great and great, great nieces and nephews and cousins; a fortune in treasured friends and his beloved dog, Carly.
Scott's virtual Life Celebration will be held on April 9th, 2022 at 2pm with LightenArrangements.com
Memorial donations may be made to: Humane Society of Greater Miami, Attn: Toni Diaz,
Second Chance Fund/ IMO Scott McNamara, 16101 West Dixie Hwy, North Miami Beach, FL 33160 Or http://www.humanesocietymiami.org
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