Friends and family honor MoDOT worker Clifton Jerome Scott with celebration of life service

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Family and friends gathered at St. Stephen Baptist Church Saturday morning to celebrate the life of Clifton Jerome Scott.

Scott was a 15-year veteran with the Missouri Department of Transportation. He was killed Friday morning on Interstate 70 as he was directing traffic around an accident.

His supervisor, Rusty James, said Scott was a natural leader.

“Courage, duty, pride, service, honor and nobility. Every one of those words describes Clifton Scott,” James said.

The Reverend Ralph Wright of the People’s Movement said the two were lifelong friends and he knew Scott by the nick name “Fat Daddy.”

“You could not know 'fat daddy' without having an argument and I thought about it, and I said, 'He is probably arguing with God right now,'” Wright said.  

Scott’s processional was a hero’s homecoming. Police from several different departments along with firefighters, motorist assist workers, friends and family escorted Scott to his final resting place.

His loved ones are still grieving, but say Scott would have encouraged forgiveness.

“I will tell you what I think Clifton would tell us today," James said. "I think he would tell us 'Do not hold hatred in your heart. I know that you are angry but we all need to heal.'"

Scott was the youngest of four children. He leaves behind a son, fiancé and many friends and family to cherish his memory.