Scotty Gene Hamessley

Scotty Gene Hamessley, 96, died on April 19, 2022, in Austin, TX. Scotty was a decorated veteran who served in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. After his retirement in 1969 at the rank of Senior Chief Petty Officer following 23 years of active duty, he spent another seven years in the Naval Fleet Reserve.

Scotty was born on December 12, 1925, in Wills Point, TX in Van Zandt County to Jesse Ezra Hamessley and Annie Mae (McFarland) Hamessley. After the untimely death of his mother on December 13, 1925, Scotty was raised by his mother’s sister and her husband, Ella and Henry Rusk. His extended family included his siblings J.E. Hamessley, Jessie Mae (Hamessley) Murray, and Birdie Gay (Hamessley) Polasek, and his cousins Carl Rusk and Bessie (Rusk) Doak.

Scotty was proud of his Navy service, and he spent many years at sea on aircraft carriers. He always carried a complete list of them in his wallet: the USS Cabot (1948), Monterey (1949), Princeton (1951), Boxer (1952), Yorktown (1953), Essex (1958), Saratoga (1963), and the Ranger (1965).

After his retirement from the Navy, Scotty attended Texas Lutheran College in Seguin, TX, and graduated in 1973 with a B.S. in Math and Physics. He then worked for the City of Austin as an Instrumentation Technician at various electrical power plants. After 15 years of service, Scotty retired and began to travel internationally. He made several trips to Australia, England, Scotland, Ireland, and Italy. He also took up cycling along the local trails in Austin. In his later years, he enjoyed visiting with the many people who stopped to thank him for his service when they saw the WWII Navy cap he proudly wore.

Scotty loved old radio programs, especially British music hall shows, classic movies, especially musicals from the 1930s, and British television programs, especially mysteries. He also loved cats and welcomed many feline friends into his life throughout the years.

Scotty was predeceased by his wife of 37 years Mary Lou (Amberson) Hamessley, his son Scotty Hamessley, Jr., and his parents, siblings, and cousins. Scotty is survived by his partner Geraldine Brown; daughters Lydia Hamessley, Rachel Hamessley, and Merissa (Hamessley) Leuty; granddaughter Jordan Marie Hamessley (London), and two great-granddaughters Eleanor Rose and Zoe Violet London.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to an animal shelter of your choice or Bugles Across America (https://www.buglesacrossamerica.org/). Scotty’s ashes will be laid to rest on June 23, 2022, at 1pm in a brief graveside ceremony with military honors at Cook-Walden/Forest Oaks Funeral Home and Memorial Park.