Scott Allan Carrlee passed away peacefully on the morning of April 3rd at his home in Juneau, surrounded by loved ones. He didn’t choose pancreatic cancer, but he faced it bravely, openly, and with every bit of his incredible strength, humor, and fortitude. Scott had friends and family around the world. He climbed mountains from Alaska to Nepal, cared for artifacts in Turkey, advised museums in Argentina and Japan, pursued PhD fieldwork in Costa Rica, and traveled frequently in Europe. Scott was as much at home on a mountain as at the bridge table. He had a knack for storytelling and would describe his adventures and friendships with unbridled enthusiasm. He was instantly recognizable both for his appearance and his gregarious, bright-eyed enthusiasm that could recharge anyone around him. Scott was the kind of person who commanded every room he was in without anyone minding.
Scott spent his childhood in rural Indiana, attended high school in Rochester, NY, studied German literature as an undergraduate, and lived in Germany for several years with the Wepler family of Würzburg, with whom he formed a lifelong bond. He returned to the US to earn an MA in art conservation from SUNY Buffalo. Subsequent work included the Arizona State Museum, the Carnegie Museum, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, and archaeological work at Kaman Kalehöyük in Turkey. Scott came to Juneau in 2000 and immediately took to the city, and all of Alaska, with his trademark energy. Scott loved the people, places, and quirks of life in Alaska. Fellow conservator Ellen Roblee eloped with him at Skater’s Cabin on Mendenhall Lake in Juneau in 2001, and they combined their last names (Carroll + Roblee = Carrlee). They have a 10-year-old son, Carson.
Colleagues and emerging museum professionals alike found Scott an “instant legend” and gravitated to his gregarious personality and willingness to share his encyclopedic knowledge with anyone who might need it. He had a special passion for small museums and the amazing ability to help those he worked with feel more confident. He created an internship program that launched many careers with Alaskan institutions, helped design and build the new Alaska State Library, Archives, and Museum building in Juneau, and ran a Statewide Services program that won several national awards for the Alaska State Museum.
Scott was born January 26, 1964 to Roger Carroll and Jean Carroll (nee Gladden), the youngest of four children. He is survived by his mother Jean of Danville, Indiana and three older sisters: Christine Carroll of Dacula, Georgia, Shawn Stevens (fiancée Chris Brown) of Lawrenceville, Georgia, and Shannon Pierce (Jeff Pierce) of Brownsburg, Indiana. He is also survived by his father Roger and stepmother JoAnne Pedro-Carroll and their children: Kristen Gilbert (Austin Gilbert), David Carroll (Katherine Creagen), and Michael Carroll, all of Rochester, New York except Michael, who resides in Colorado. Scott was preceded in death by his niece Erin Stevens and former stepbrother Don Albietz, whose sister Lisa Kincaid still lives in Indiana.
Scott wished the following gratitude, in his own words, to be expressed to his home of Juneau, Alaska: “If you are reading this I have already passed away with pancreatic cancer. I am writing you, the community of Juneau to say thanks. Thanks for everything you have given me over the years. I came here 18 years ago for a job and a little adventure. What a got was a community that embraced me and that I fell in love with. It is difficult to say what exactly Juneau means to me but I know that it has given me a lot; friends, a place to work, a place to live, a place to raise a family, and grow into a better person. Most of all Juneau has given me a sense of community I never had before and for that I will be forever grateful. Goodbye Juneau. I loved you well!”
The Scott Carrlee Memorial Fund will help bring student interns to Alaska for museum work.
