Scott Richard Winn

Selfless, kind and strong, Scott Richard Winn is being remembered by his family and friends as a hard worker and consummate caretaker who never complained – and never tired of doing for those he loved. Scott, 65, passed away January 8, 2025 surrounded by his adoring family after complications from a heart attack.

Scott was born in Pennsylvania to Carolyn and Dennis Winn, but grew up in Grand Rapids. Scott enjoyed spending time with his grandpa Wing who shared a love for building and fixing things with his grandson.

The middle of five children, Scott attended Immaculate Heart of Mary and then graduated from Catholic Central High School, where he earned the reputation as a maker of gentle mischief who was well-known to the nuns. Scott chose to study at Central Michigan University, where he pursued a degree in business and accounting. It was there he met the love of his life, Deborah Ann Jones, when they lived next door to one another during their senior year. Sociable and handy, Scott always found an excuse to visit Deb and offer to hang a picture or fix whatever needed to be repaired.

After graduation, Scott tried his hand at accounting. He quickly realized he wasn’t cut out for sitting behind a desk, so dabbled in real estate before landing a position at J.C. Carlson Construction that better suited him. Scott married Deb in 1985, bringing her to Grand Rapids where she later pursued a career in early childhood education.

While Scott’s dad and two brothers were in the field of dentistry, Scott was the outlier and parlayed his passion to build and create into a career in construction. He worked for Carlson by days but spent his nights and weekends on passion projects. Incredibly talented and exceptionally precise, Scott launched Scott R. Winn Builder, tackling any building or remodeling project imaginable – dry wall, electric, tile, plumbing and other areas. He was an exceptional woodworker and craftsman, building cabinets, furniture and more.

Scott’s projects were as wide-ranging as his talents, from building a prayer wall for Grand Rapids Christian Schools to creating a cottage for his parents in Pentwater to helping remodel the initial Children’s Healing Center, a nonprofit created by his daughter Amanda.

Scott lived his Catholic faith in quiet ways, following the example of Jesus to serve others in everything he did. Scott and Deb welcomed two daughters, Amanda and Kristin, raising them in the Catholic faith. An exceptionally loving father, Scott never missed a sports game, competition or activity for his daughters while they were in school. Amanda and Kristin call their father their biggest cheerleader who could always be counted on for anything they – or their friends – needed. Whatever interested his daughters was important to Scott, who took them to midnight book release parties to pick up the newest Harry Potter.

The Winns vacationed together as a family, traveling frequently to Florida and out West. They spent summers between his parents’ cottage in Pentwater, Deb’s parents’ home (which Scott renovated) in Cadillac and at Camp Michigania. A huge U of M fan, Scott was thrilled when both his daughters graduated from Michigan, Amanda in architecture and Kristin in brain, behavior and cognitive science. Tailgates during football season were a must for everyone.

The family loved their beach time together. Scott enjoyed shelling and finding and polishing Petoskey stones. He loved nature, birding and, after retirement, fully immersed himself in gardening. After deciding to grow vegetables, Scott built a multi-level climate-controlled greenhouse with automatic watering – which was a delight to his four grandsons, who were encouraged to eat veggies right off the vine.

Scott lived for his four grandsons, Weston, Carson, Sterling and Pierce. He was happiest when he and Deb were caring for them. Known as the baby whisperer, Scott was able to make any of the boys stop crying. He taught them to be industrious and free thinkers who could handle themselves. Scott found incredible joy from playing cars and wrestling with them, but also in quiet moments of cuddles.

Wherever he went, Scott built community and connections. He loved talking to people, whether it be the cashiers at Forest Hills Foods or the gardeners at Koetsier’s Greenhouse – and everyone else he encountered throughout his life. He asked questions and genuinely cared about who people were and how they were doing.

Scott devoted a lot of time to volunteering at the Children’s Healing Center, where he was on-call if anything went wrong with the building. He also served on its Board and Finance Committee, as well as providing transportation and recruiting new members every opportunity he had.

Scott was preceded in death by his parents and his sisters, Debbie and Marirose. He is survived by his loving wife, Deb, daughter Amanda Winn Barbour (Steven), daughter Kristin Winn Jones (Ryan) and their four sons. He is also survived by his brothers, Dennis (Ann) and Paul (Amy).

The family will celebrate Scott’s life at O’Brien-Eggebeen-Gerst Funeral Home, 3980 Cascade Road SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546, on Friday, January 16, 2026, with a visitation from 4-6 p.m., with rosary being said at 5:30 p.m. There will be a visitation on Saturday, January17, at 10 a.m. with a service at 11 a.m. Children are welcome to attend – and encouraged to be kids. In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial contribution to Children’s Healing Center or Red Glasses Movement.