Scott R. Lucas
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Published in December 2025
Scott R. Lucas, 58, of Burlington, passed away on December 23, 2025, after a two-year battle with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). He leaves behind his loving wife, Megan McIntyre, his daughters, Morgan Mendoza and Madison Lucas, his son-in-law, Andres Mendoza, and his beloved cats, Mazie and Maya.
Scott was born in Pittsburgh, PA and received his Master’s degree in Physical Chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh. He was most recently employed at Azurity Pharmaceuticals in Wilmington as Director of Engineering. Scott was appreciated by his co-workers for his vast knowledge about many subjects. He was very generous with his time, spending hours teaching others about topics ranging from nuclear particle accelerators, to the history of aviation, to space exploration, to theoretical physics. Scott was always wanting to learn and share his knowledge with others.
This desire for learning also extended to Scott’s vacations. He loved to visit the Air Force Museum in Dayton, OH, the National Electronics Museum in Maryland, and the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC. Scott’s favorite place to visit was the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where he would spend hours talking to staff about the intricacies of the physics behind the F1 engines that propelled the Saturn V rocket to the moon.
Lest anyone think that Scott only enjoyed science, he also loved visiting Walt Disney World with his family, his favorite rides being Space Mountain and It’s a Small World. Because he loved seeing his wife and daughters laughing, he would ride the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, making the cups spin as fast as he could. As his children grew up, the family started going on Disney Cruise Line sailings around the Caribbean. Ever the scientist, Scott loved talking to the officers and Captains about the inner workings of the ship and its mechanics. Much to Scott’s dismay, he never did get his wish of being invited on a tour of the bridge.
Now, anyone who met Scott knew that he loved to go to the gym. As much as he loved stretching his mind, he also loved pushing his body to the limits. Although he was never in the military, Scott adapted the Navy SEAL motto, “The only easy day was yesterday” into “The only easy workout was the last one.” He often wondered why people thought he worked as a personal trainer or in law enforcement, musing, “Why does nobody guess that I am a scientist?”
In December 2023, Scott started experiencing weakness in his left ankle, which he thought was a form of plantar fasciitis. Later, he started having weakness in his thumbs, and when he developed muscle twitches in June of 2024, he was referred to a neurologist. After some tests, with his wife by his side, Scott received the devastating diagnosis of ALS. The body he had worked so hard to build for forty years, was quickly breaking down.
Never one to back down, Scott was determined to fight his disease. He transformed his favorite motto to be, “ALS—the only easy day was yesterday.” Scott started researching every scientific paper and study he could find about the disease to learn how best to keep his body as functional as possible. He fought back frustration that, with every month, he was losing strength, and worked to maintain whatever he had left. Scott never experienced the total paralysis that afflicts most people with ALS—he was able to walk with a walker until the end. It was respiratory failure, caused by the reduced strength of his breathing muscles, that Scott could not stop. As his final wish, Scott gave the one part of himself that he still had—his incredible brain, to further ALS research.
In addition to his immediate family, Scott is survived by Megan’s parents, Tom and Jane McIntyre, her brother and sister-in-law, David and Jennifer McIntyre,her nephew, Cole McIntyre, and his adoptive father, Lyle Davis. He was predeceased by his adoptive mother, Myra Davis. He was also loved and will be missed by many other friends, family members and coworkers.
If you wish to help families struggling with ALS, please give to Compassionate Care for ALS (CCALS), an organization which provided Scott and Megan invaluable support with both equipment and counseling during their journey.
A celebration of Scott’s life will be scheduled for the spring. Arrangements are by the Edward V. Sullivan Funeral Home, 43 Winn St. Burlington.