Scott J. Saiki, age 69 of Dousman, WI, passed away peacefully at AngelsGrace Hospice in Oconomowoc with his wife Nadine by his side. Scott was born March 27, 1951 to George and Emiko (nee Yokoyama) Saiki in Mankato, MN.
He is survived by his devoted wife of 36 years Nadine; son George Robert Saiki; daughter Robin Emiko Osman; mother Emi Saiki; sisters Penny Saiki and Jean Saiki; “adopted” daughters Jaime Reals and Linda Dron; best friend Tom Spence; along with family and friends. He is preceded in death by his father George Saiki and brother Robert Saiki.
Per Scott’s wishes, he will be cremated and chose not to have any services.
The Saiki family would like to thank the staff at Oconomowoc Memorial Hospital and Western Lakes EMS for their wonderful care throughout the years. Thank you to the staff at AngelsGrace for their care and compassion on his final journey home.
In lieu of flowers, memorials in Scott’s name can be made out to Western Lakes EMS.
To plant a beautiful memorial tree in memory of Scott J. Saiki, please visit our Tribute Store.
Sue Crosbie
Such fond memories of you winning the cross country ski race during Snow Week! RIP
Debbie Gage
I'm sorry; my condolences to the Saikis and Scott's family. I remember Scott as cheerful and smiling.
Kevin Cedergren
God bless Scott and family.🙏🏻
Tom Spence
I apologize in advance for the length of my comments, but writing only a few words seemed wholly inappropriate.
I first met Scott over 65 years ago. We were best friends from that moment on. Actually, we were more like brothers. There are lots of childhood memories. Some that would be fun to repeat and a few others, not so much. Like the time Scott experimented with a homemade parachute. We took it out to test on a windy day and the chute quickly filled with air and lifted him off the ground. Unfortunately, the harness he devised featured a strap that went between his legs. The shriek of pain wasn’t funny then, but his glaring design flaw provided many laughs and good-natured ribbing later. He was always artistic, creative and inventive. Who else would build a land mine from an erector set or put gun powder in a flash bulb? In retrospect, a lot of his inventions involved an explosion of some sort.
Throughout Jr High and High School, we competed in golf against each other. We celebrated the other person’s wins as much as our own. We grew up together. We enjoyed fast cars and managed not to hurt ourselves or anyone else. Scott was organized and meticulous. Who can work on a car in white pants and not get dirty?
We traded being Best Man in our respective weddings. Scott went to work for General Motors and had a distinguished career there. If you’ve been in a GM car, odds are good Scott’s designs were in it. Among other roles, he was a lead engineer on the C5 Corvette. He later became an expert witness for GM in high profile lawsuits – a job that didn’t thrill him because he “wasn’t productive”. He left GM to lead an advanced development team at Harley-Davidson. While there, he designed a very high- performance and stable “trike” – 2 wheels in front and 1 in back – that I believe Harley mistakenly didn’t bring to market. A protype was displayed in the Harley-Davidson Museum.
Over the years, we got together whenever we could. There were hunting and fishing trips, but usually, we connected over the phone. Conversations could be months apart, but it seemed we picked up right where we left off. We talked about our families, work, hobbies and our successes and disappointments. We knew what the other was thinking – often without the words being spoken. Scott was intelligent, a good listener and a problem solver. He was logical, insightful – and he cared. He had a great sense of humor. Over the years, just a couple of words referencing a past experience, event or movie could set off an eruption of laughter between us.
Our plans for trips to Alaska and the Bahamas came to an end when Scott suffered a series of strokes. His mind remained sharp, but his body betrayed him. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention his wife, Nadine. Scott lost the ability to care for himself. For over 9 years, Nadine’s life was providing 24/7 care for Scott. Her love, devotion and commitment kept him out of a nursing home and gave him the highest quality of life possible. I am grateful to her for taking such good care of him.
The world was a better place with Scott in it – it’s a lot emptier now.
Fare thee well, Mr. Saiki. You will truly be missed.
Thomas Reber
Tom Spence your description/story was awesome! Reber
John Becker
I join in the sadness of Scott's death. Tom did an incredible job describing him. I moved to Mankato as a senior and only knew Scott for a brief time, mainly as we contributed on the golf team. I ran to find my Otaknam to reread his words written only as he could, with wit, precision and purpose. The whole letter was written as if both of us were convicts locked in seperate prisons. He at San Quentin, Calif and me at Yuma State Prison, Arizona. I always wondered what was going through his mind at that moment of writing. Never found out. His brilliant mind, ideas and detail created a tremendous amount of success for himself and others. John Becker