RIP Scott Kutheis
post courtesy of Chris Compton
Scott Kutheis
April 3, 1969 – February 2, 2024
Scott Kutheis died Friday morning at home near Atlanta, GA.
Scott was a wonderful example of a human being. He spoke his mind. He wore his emotions on his sleeve. He did what he said he would do and he made the world a better place.
A central figure in the Atlanta pinball scene, Scott bridged the gap between the group of old-timers who pioneered GA pinball more than a decade ago and the young phenoms who clog the leaderboards today. Scott was comfortable and welcomed in both groups. And he could play.
He was a founding member of the Atlanta Head-to-Head League and was part of the Atlanta Pinball League from its inception. His absences from either league over the course of the last decade can be counted on one hand.
Scott’s first official competitive pinball event was in 2011 at Pinburgh, where he finished 125th. Never the sort to languish at the bottom of the standings, he rung Hell’s Bell in Birmingham at the AC/DC Big Balls Tournament, the first of many victories over the next decade just a year later.
Last fall, Scott won season-long titles in both the Atlanta Pinball League and the Atlanta Head-to-Head League. Sadly, these will stand as the last of many championships for “ICE.”
In his last major event, he finished second to Dalton Ely last month at the GA SCS finals.
Scott played his last competitive game of pinball a few hours before he died, finishing fourth on “Jurassic Park” in the finals of the monthly tournament at My Parent’s Basement in Avondale, GA.
Scott was a genuine sweetheart. He was smart, meticulous, responsible, and kind. He loved music, children, and dogs. He was the kind of friend who could pick up a conversation three months later without missing a beat because he was genuinely interested in the lives of the people he let into his own.
The world is darker today with Scott Kutheis gone. He will be missed by his family, his pinball family, and his friends across the planet.
Lift a glass to our fallen brother, Scott Kutheis. We were all so fortunate to share our lives with him, if only for a little while.
RIP.
I met Scott at Pinburgh 2011, which was also the first tournament I played in. I became fast pinball friends with Scott, rooming with him at the following PAPA event and visited him and his collection years ago when I was down in Atlanta. This is a beautiful and accurate article written about Scott – he will be greatly missed. -Nick
Scott was a great guy, met him either at TPF or our Fairfax Pinball Open, and remained friends, always catching up at big events. Great big smile. Very sad loss.
Having known Scott K for over 12 years, I can say that all of the kind words from Chris are true. Scott was a fun person to be around and a true competitor. He played in 396 total events so he was very active in pinball and IFPA. He made many trips over to Birmingham and it was always a pleasure to have him at our local tournaments. He will be sorely missed.
What is there to say… I miss him, and it will be a lot lonelier around this place with him.
RIP ICE