Aug 28, 2018

Guido Francis Scarton, 88, a loving father, brother, grandfather, uncle and friend, passed away Monday, August 27, 2018, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

He was born December 14, 1929, in Sharon.

He was preceded in death by his father, James Scarton; mother Angelina Scarton; stepmother Catherine Scarton; sister Eleanor Scarton Peluso; and the love of his life and high school sweetheart, Lillian Armani Scarton.

He was 1948 graduate of Chartiers High School and a 1952 graduate of Wake Forest University. He was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 2007. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean conflict. He played football for the Vancouver Lions in Canada and then returned to the Washington area, where he then taught math and coached football at his alma mater, Chartiers High School.

One summer, he picked up a part-time job with World Book Encyclopedia. This job would change his life. He began as a salesman in the Washington area, then was transferred to the home office in Chicago, Ill., where he was a motivational speaker/presenter and developed reading programs in school districts teaching young children a love for reading. He retired in 1992 to Satellite Beach, Fla., where World Book once again contacted him to consult internationally on the reading programs. He and his wife, Lillian, traveled to present this program to children all around the world.

He was a great caretaker of his wife of 52 years, Lillian, who passed away in 2005 as she suffered from a rare form of cancer. He had a strong sense of family, which included many close friends. This often made it difficult for some to understand who was family and who was a dear friend.

He suffered from Alzheimer’s and a brain mass. He was an organ donor, and the family has chosen to donate his remains to the University of Utah Neurology Department for clinical research.

He is survived by his sister, Donna (Ron) Ogrodowski of Washington; sons Mark (Lou Ann) of Park City, Utah, and Christopher (Lin) of Lake Zurich, Ill.; daughters Catherine of Phoenix, Ariz., and Stephanie of Orlando, Fla.; grandchildren Susan, Craig, Melissa, Angelina and Nicole; seven great-grandchildren; sister-in-law Dorothy (Herb) Cox of Houston; and numerous nieces and nephews.

His family and friends are scattered across several states, so smaller memorials will be planned, and those plans shared as they are finalized.

Donations may be made to any Alzheimer’s foundation.