Scott William Taddiken

Scott W Taddiken, 79, died peacefully at his farm home on Friday, March 20, 2026. He was born August 10th, 1946 in Clay Center, Kansas to Ervin Wayne “Bill” and Julia Arlene (Nelson) Taddiken, and raised on a farm North West of Clay Center with his two sisters. On January 3rd, 1970 he married Mary McKee at the St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Clay Center. To this union 4 children were born - Tad, Russ, Ben, and Kara.

Scott attended Washington district 15, a one room school, through the 6th grade. The school closed, so he went to Morganville for his 7th and 8th grades. He graduated from CCCHS in 1964, and immediately joined the US Navy at 17 years old. He was assigned to the USS Epperson DDE / DD on which he had many experiences including time along the Vietnam coast, inlets and bays. After discharge he attended K-State and worked for Nelson Poultry Farms in Manhattan. After two years he and Mary moved to their farm. His connection to the land and farming provided him the opportunity to enjoy God’s beautiful creation every day. He was a member of the Clay Center United Methodist Church for over 50 years.

He always strived to live by Ephesians 4:2 - “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” He deeply valued his family, friendships and personal connections. Scott impacted many lives through his extensive church and community involvement. He lived his life with integrity and valued the outdoors, farming, and anything involving Christian love and fellowship. He was always welcoming to others, as is evidenced by his and Mary’s involvement in founding the Community Church Camp program, founding a local chapter of Cowboys for Christ, mentoring, being actively involved as a 4-H leader, and participating in numerous other community activities. While farming kept him busy, sharing his love of horses with others was a true passion. Another passion Scott had was his love of music, especially bluegrass and country music. After retirement some of his favorite memories were traveling with friends and horses throughout the U.S.

He was preceded in death by his parents and sister Nancy Mitchell.

Survivors include: Wife, Mary, children Scott (“Tad”) and wife Gina, Topeka; Russ and wife Paige, Clay Center; Ben and wife Libby, Ormond Beach, FL; Kara and husband Patrick Watts, Charlottesville, VA. Grandchildren: Anna & Kate Taddiken, Neelly, Holte & Pratt Taddiken, and Olivia Watts. Sister Pat Gilbert and husband Ron, and a favorite horse RB.

Memorial Services will be held at 10:30 AM on Friday, March 27, 2026, at the United Methodist Church in Clay Center, KS. The service will livestream, starting about 10:25AM at https://www.facebook.com/nsrfuneralhome/videos

Officiating the service will be Rev. Reuben Langat, Ph. D.

Visitation will be held from 4-7 PM on Thursday, March 26, 2026, at United Methodist Church Family Life Center, 448 Clarke St. in Clay Center

Memorials: Please make checks payable to CCCIF c/o the funeral home. Write Community Church Camp or Scott Taddiken on the memo line. Online donations to the Community Church Camp may be made at https://www.claycentercif.org/make-a-donation.cfm