Scott Kausen

The Life of Scott Daniel Kausen

Father, Grandfather, Brother, Son, Husband, Colleague and Friend describe Scott Daniel Kausen who was born on October 25, 1952 in Inglewood, CA to Melvin Alfred Kausen, an entrepreneur and citrus farmer, and to Marie Ann Kausen (nee Voigt), a loving mother and devoted business partner until Mel’s passing in August of 2022.

Scott was the second of four children—older brother Marc (wife Karen), younger sister, Kitt, born in 1957, who was called back to heaven after only three days, and younger brother Lee (wife Jill).

Scott spent his first six years in Gardena, CA, living in a modest house behind his father’s service station at the corner of 147th and Western. Here the seeds of hard-work, delayed gratification, an entrepreneurial spirit, and devotion to God were planted in the Kausen boys’ hearts.

In 1958, the young Kausen family moved from Gardena to Rolling Hills, CA, where Scott attended Christ Lutheran School, through the eighth grade, and subsequently went on to graduate from Rolling Hills High School in 1970. Scott only operated in two modes: ON or Off. He was either in high-gear (at work, engaged in some sort of project) or he was asleep. Not surprisingly, Scott worked full-time for Lucky Stores while taking courses at El Camino Junior College and ultimately earned his business degree from USC. While at Lucky Stores he developed a love of retail sales, which he wove into his church life through “the bookstore ministry” at Calvary Chapel, in Visalia, CA; he learned the importance of budgeting, pricing and knowing your client because the margins in the grocery business are tight; and he developed an obsession for fronting merchandise on shelves so his family pantry was always properly organized with the can labels facing forward, perfectly aligned, with the oldest cans in the front…where they should be!
Always focused on the future, he remained on the night shift with Lucky Stores while working for Satco, a cargo net manufacturing facility in El Segundo, California. It was during this time that he met and married his first wife, Linda Juge. They were blessed with three children: Elise Leanne, born August 20, 1974; Matthew Scott, born August 13, 1980 and Krista Scott, born March 17, 1988.

Disappointments with Satco, his disdain for LA, and a desire to follow his entrepreneurial nature, led Scott and his young family in 1984 to sacrificially invest, along with his parents, in launching Cal Valley Citrus Inc., in Lindsay CA. To save costs, the family moved into the old ranch house located on the family’s first grove, planted in 1908, by patriarch Leland Stanford Kausen. The “Ranch House” was used as a central rest-stop for anyone who was minding the wind machines during the winter freeze. As a result, one of the two bedrooms needed to always be available so Scott, Linda, Elise and Matthew shared a single bedroom that first year, making them an “all together” family!

Despite the heavy time demands, Scott always managed to make time to be involved in church. It was there he met some of his lifelong friends—the Chastain’s, the Gray’s, the Lynn’s the Smee’s—most of whom had similar aged children. Scott loved hosting big annual parties, such as the Christmas Sing-Along and the 4th of July Celebration. You could always find Scott manning the BBQ because he loved to grill steak and taste-test every piece, “just to make sure it was ok” for everyone.

Scott loved the outdoors which included hiking in the nearby Sierra Nevada trails, day trips to Yosemite, doing yardwork or “fixing” something related to the house. He got into cowboy life for a few years and did some cutting and trail riding with his horse, Achy. Above all, Scott loved anything to do with the water. He grew up surfing (like a true SoCal boy) and would often take the family to Pismo or Hermosa Beach so he could surf or boogie board. He took the ski boat to Kaweah Lake to water ski and wake board every Saturday with family and/or friends. The day started at sunrise “so we’d get the good water” and be home by 10 a.m. Scott swam daily and valued playing in the backyard pool with his grandkids. His favorite (and only) yearly vacation was the week-long stay at the B&W Resort located on the Sacramento Delta. The week was filled with family and friends, boating, fishing, jet skiing, eating ice cream, doing big crawdad boils, playing games like wiffle ball and monopoly, and taking his grandkids to the nearby candy store letting them get ANYTHING they wanted.

Scott enjoyed tennis, pool, horseshoes, Ping-Pong, chess and cards. His favorite sport, by far, was baseball. In his younger years, he coached his younger brother Lee’s baseball team. Later in life, he played adult co-ed softball with many of his friends from church. He was a sports fan who never missed his USC Trojan Football or LA Dodger games. He loved going to the movies and would take his family almost every Sunday after church--he loved anything with Clint Eastwood, Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson, Steve Martin and Chevy Chase.

Thirty-Two years of hard-work, dedication, and a single-minded focus to grow a successful business took a toll on Scott so the decision was made, in 2017, to sell the packing house as well as all the family groves. This decision ushered big changes into Scott’s life.

In 2018, Scott met Kelly Crews, who, herself, was an entrepreneur. They bonded over their shared love of Real Estate (Scott had always maintained his Real Estate Broker’s license), golf and ocean living. Scott and Kelly married on May 4, 2019. He moved to Oceanside, California, where Kelly was based, to embark on their new life together. Their time as a couple, exploring shared passions and growing in God together, was one of happiness and joy.

Scott will be fondly remembered as a man who loved Jesus, loved his family and loved people. He had a great sense of humor and enjoyed playing pranks on his friends. He applied Armor All to everything, was quick to share a smile or a joke and sought to love people forward. He was straightforward with his words and generous with encouragement.

Scott’s sister Kitt (1957), grandson Chase (2021) and Father Mel (2022) preceded him in glory. He is survived by his three children Elise Kausen, Matthew Kausen and Krista Alvarez; three grandchildren, Daisee, Tori and Eliza; his mother Marie Kausen and his two brothers, Marc and Lee Kausen along with his wife Kelly Kausen.

Scott transitioned to the presence of his savior on January 5, 2024, from Oceanside, California.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made by check to:
"Friends of Calvary Chapel Bible College Peru"
1771 E Palomar St
Chula Vista, CA 91913