MANHATTAN, IL — Scott Becker hoped he wouldn’t be forgotten.
The devoted veterinarian and beloved husband couldn’t have known what was to come soon after he spoke those words to his wife. Scott, an Orland Park native, died suddenly in 2020 at 40, and four years later his wife finds herself fulfilling a promise to keep his name and legacy alive.
“He always went above and beyond,” Kate Becker told Patch, of Scott’s work as a veterinarian. “He was a soft, tender soul.”
Seeking a way to honor him and put to use funds raised after his passing, Becker mulled ideas. Together, they had dreamed of opening a dog rescue some day, but as Becker faced the new reality of being a sole provider, that idea seemed just out of reach.
“A dog rescue was just not something I could have done,” she said.
A year ago, she learned that her hometown of Manhattan—where she and Scott built their dream home just two years prior to his death—was continuing to explore ideas for a dog park in town. Something told her to find out more. She reached out to her former neighbor, Manhattan Village Trustee Justin Young, and that set things in motion.
It was perfect—this was how she could honor Scott.
“All the stars aligned,” Becker said. “Manhattan was starting to take it more seriously, enacting plans. I guess it was all meant to be. I just had a nudge to reach out, and fortunately, they were very open to everything.”
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The dog park—to be built at the Metra station off of Sweedler Road—will be named Dr. Scott Park.
Becker was born and raised in Manhattan, “and I never left,” she said, and the naming forever links her love for her hometown, with Scott’s legacy and love for animals.
“I’ve been here for 37 years,” she said. “It’s something nice to memorialize Scott, and also something to give back to the community that I was born and raised in.”
The name was unveiled during a Dec. 21 ceremony at the site, 15601 W. Sweedler Rd. Mayor Mike Adrieansen was joined by Becker and family along with Manhattan trustees Lucinda Neighbors, Ron Adamski, Justin Young, and Dave Beemsterboer, in addition to Village Administrator Jeff Wold and Community Development Director Marc Nelson, Jay Kelly from the Manhattan Park District, Tammy McMahon from Grand Prairie Animal Hospital, and Don Orseno from Metra. A banner displays Dr. Scott Park, along with sponsors EarthRise Energy and Grand Prairie Animal Hospital.
“This dog park has been a vision of mine for years, and seeing it finally come to life is incredibly rewarding,” said Adrieansen shared on social media. “The Village Board has put a lot of input in and are very supportive of this dog park. I want to extend a special thanks to Metra for working with us to make this space available—it wouldn’t have been possible without their support.
“We spent a lot of time exploring potential locations until John Tyk suggested this one—brilliant idea, John.”
For Becker, it was a poignant moment, shared with family ahead of the Christmas holiday.
“…This has been my secret surprise for the last year, and now it’s the greatest Christmas gift,” she shared on social media.
Scott was raised in Orland Park and went on to attend veterinary school at the University of Illinois. For years he worked at Bremen Animal Hospital in Tinley Park, alongside his father who owned the practice.
Scott’s compassion—for animals and their human counterparts—shone through in each interaction, Becker said. Late nights at the office were spent giving each patient and their family his all, and utmost care.
“Taking care of pets, that’s someone’s loved one—he took that very seriously,” she said. “He exhausted all options to try to do the best thing for his patients and clients.”
He would give so much of himself—professionally, and sometimes monetarily—to help his patients and their owners
“He was truly the best that I’ve ever met in my whole life,” she said. “The kindest, sweetest soul. For his clients who couldn’t afford something, he’d take money out of his own pocket. “
She’d playfully poke at him about their own finances as a couple just getting started on their life together.
“‘Scott, you can’t just pay for everybody’s stuff,'” she laughed and remembers telling him.
“He was a gem, he really was.”
At the time of his death, Scott was working for IDEXX Laboratories, a leader in veterinary diagnostics, software, and water microbiology testing. He was able to work remotely. The day of his death, their home internet had faltered, and he had been working elsewhere for the day. Becker, a nurse practitioner, was working in the intensive care unit in the thick of COVID. The two were talking on the phone when Scott suffered sudden cardiac arrest.
“He was totally healthy,” Becker said, of the shock of his death.
A microscopic autopsy revealed a genetic condition called arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC). The diagnosis led to greater awareness of the condition throughout his family.
Prior to Scott’s death, the couple lost several friends suddenly in 2020, and it led Scott to reflect on his own mortality.
“He said ‘I just don’t want to be forgotten,'” Becker remembers him saying. “Not knowing that he was going to die. … That just sticks with me. Every birthday, every anniversary I do something for him.
“That’s my job, is to live life for both of us.”
Mayor Mike Adrieansen had been exploring the possibility of a dog park in Manhattan for years, but couldn’t lock into the right location.
The cost to create one in other places would be excessive, with the need to create parking, have running water, and install fencing. After hitting dead ends, Adrieansen credits Manhattan Public Works Superintendent John Tyk with suggesting the Metra property.
“He came up with the location because there was already parking, electric and water,” he said. “To do this at a vacant site would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
The Village estimates about it will cost roughly $125,000 for the park to be constructed. EarthRise Energy has donated $50,000, with Becker contributing $20,000 raised through a GoFundMe after Scott’s passing. Future donations in Dr. Scott’s name will be accepted as well to help support the park’s future needs.
Adrieansen is thrilled to be able to move the park forward.
“I think it’s going to be a great addition to the community, for people to meet other people who have dogs,” he said. “Just a social place, where you can meet other people. I just think it’s great to have this.”
“It’s not as big as we would like,” he said, “… but it is definitely a start for the first dog park.”
The park’s progress has been somewhat intricate, factoring in the Manhattan Park District, Metra, and the Village. It’s been a cooperative effort to make sure all parties are heard. Public Works Clerk Becky Burke, too, was instrumental throughout the process, poring into research on what materials can be used in the park, and other necessary features. Nonprofit Furiends of Manhattan Pet Pantry has also been vital in the plan nearing fruition.
Once completed, the park district will take over operations and maintenance, including membership and security.
“We’re working together with the park district, in a great way,” Adrieansen said. “It is a partnership. We’re getting it done, and then they’re taking it over.”
Becker and Scott shared two dogs—Pickles and Bucket—both adopted after their wedding.
“We’re excited for them to have a place to run free,” Becker said. “This is a long time coming for Manhattan. I’m glad to be a part of it, and have his memory to be a part of it.
“It’s perfectly suiting for the dog park.”
Officials hope the park will open in spring/summer 2025.
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