Edward Scott Carroll, D.O., 53, was fatally injured in an automobile accident on Dec. 4, 2013.
He was born on Nov. 15, 1960, in Des Plaines, Ill. During his formative years, Scott lived with his family in Illinois, then relocated to Paxton, where he graduated from Paxton Consolidated High School in 1978. He fondly recounted the “adventures of Scott Carroll,” the Carroll brothers and sister, and their many friends, all under the watchful eye of his parents, Oma and Papa. That sense of adventure drew him to enlist in the Air Force in 1978, where he served his country at Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha until 1982. As an intelligent, self-confident E4, he was selected for a position in the military hospital as an operating room technician. It was there that his passion for all aspects of surgery originated. When he scrubbed for a cardiothoracic surgeon, his quest to become a physician and surgeon himself began.
He received a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 1987, and then a doctor of osteopathy degree from the University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine in Kansas City, Mo., in 1991.
In pursuit of his dream to become a heart surgeon, he completed an Internship at Des Moines General Hospital in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1992, and then general surgery residency at Des Moines General Hospital in 1996. He served in the role of chief surgery resident from 1995-1996. He completed his fellowship in cardiothoracic and vascular surgery at Deborah Heart and Lung Center in Browns Mills, N.J. in 1999.
As a cardiothoracic surgeon, Scott entered into practice with Cardiovascular Associates in Sarasota, Fla., from 1999–2001. When an opportunity presented to return to Nebraska, Scott started his own practice, Kearney Heart and Lung Surgeons, PC, in Kearney in 2001. He successfully recruited a partner from Deborah Heart and Lung Center to join his practice and provide access to care for the residents of west central Nebraska. In 2006, when the rigorous situations of handling life and death took a toll on Scott’s personal and professional life, he embarked on a new adventure to reinvent himself. As a highly skilled surgeon, Scott pursued his passion by substituting hearts for hands. During his many years of training he recalled always wanting to be a hand surgeon, although he often commented that he should have been either a pilot or race car driver.
He completed postdoctoral training and fellowship in hand and wrist surgery at Baptist Integris Medical Center in Oklahoma City, Okla., in 2006. Scott then embarked on building a prolific practice at North Platte Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine in 2008. His favorite day of the week was Monday because he could operate hands and wrists all day at the North Platte Surgery Center with an efficient, fun team of clinicians.
During his career he was certified by the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners and Board Certified in general, thoracic, and cardiovascular surgery. He was a member of the American Osteopathic Association, and was on the medical staff at Great Plains Regional Medical Center in North Platte and Community Hospital in McCook.
Scott believed in communicating kindness and genuine care to patients, families, and staff. He had the unique ability to engage people in conversation by using his curiosity to connect and make them feel special. In the presence of a child patient, Scott was indeed a “rock star” with communication. To improve his relationship with ranchers and farmers, Scott humbly inquired about calving, branding, weaning, and harvesting, and then reflected on his experience on the ranch.
As a lifelong learner, Scott’s bookshelves were filled with texts on art, sculpture, music, Porsches, airplanes, trucks, motorcycles, guns, history, medicine, science, dogs, ranching, and animal husbandry. Upon considering a new interest, he swiftly acquired a fundamental set of texts for in-depth study. E. Scott Carroll’s persona was about pursuing an interest to perfection, or not at all. When he was not reading, he was spending time with his children, or watching football, especially the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
First and foremost, E. Scott Carroll was a loving father and grandfather. In his lifetime he had successfully overcome adversity and reinvented himself as a hand and wrist surgeon, for whom patients were thankful. He unleashed a hidden passion for ranching, art, travel, design, and fashion. He lived for the moment. When questioned about planning for the future he once said, “I am Scott Carroll and I know that I will be alright.” Indeed, he lived, loved, learned, and left a legacy for all.
He is survived by his daughter, Hannah Elizabeth Carroll; his granddaughter, Harper Faith Lowry, of Omaha; his son, Noah Scott Carroll, of Kearney; his parents, Tom and Carla Carroll, of Kingman, Ariz.; his sister, Luann Carroll Cutting, of Japan; his brothers, Steve Carroll, of Kellogg, Idaho, Shawn Carroll, of Chandler, Ariz., and Todd Carroll, of Arlington, Wash.; his former wife, Sam Carroll, of Kearney; and his partner, Marta Lucille Hudson, of North Platte. All of his family and friends survive him with fond, loving memories.
Services will be at 1 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 10, at Carpenter Memorial Chapel in North Platte. An informal service will take place at 10 a.m., Tuesday, Dec. 10, at the cafeteria at Great Plains Regional Medical Center. Cremation was chosen. Following cremation a private burial will take place at his ranch, which Scott referred to as “my sanctuary.”
Online condolences may be shared at www.carpentermemorial.com. Carpenter Memorial Chapel is in charge of arrangements.