Menlo Park resident Scott James Scherer passes away at age 56
A deeply devoted father, husband, brother, son, and friend to many — whose expertise in and passion for the outdoors spanned his entire life — Scott James Scherer passed away from natural causes while surfing along his beloved California coast on Friday, March 6, 2026. He was 56 and lived in Menlo Park.
Scott was born in Palo Alto to Jim and Renie Scherer on September 12, 1969. He grew up alongside his sister Julie in Los Altos and attended Los Altos High School, where he excelled at water polo and tennis, graduating in 1988. He went on to attend the University of Redlands, where he played both sports for the Bulldogs.
A lifelong student of markets and world affairs, he studied International Relations and spent time studying in Russia in 1991. He graduated in 1992 and joined CoinStar as its third-ever employee, moving to Seattle to start his career. It was there he met the love of his life, Meg McGraw.
After Meg and Scott married in 1998, they settled in Los Angeles, where Scott attended the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business and Meg continued her career in affordable housing. After two years in Los Angeles, they moved to San Francisco. They bought a house in the neighborhood of West Portal, and in 2004, they welcomed Miles James into their lives. Two years later, they were joined by their daughter Sadie Margaret, and soon moved to Menlo Park, nearly across the street from his sister Julie and her family, and only a few miles away from his parents.
Scott spent his career as a technologist and product executive, working at established technology names and start-up companies across a 30-year career. He also worked as an advisor to several start-ups, most notably Tablet Command, of which he was most proud.
A natural inventor and creative thinker, with patents to his name, Scott brought the same curiosity and craftsmanship to everything he did. That creativity extended to his passion for artistry and woodworking, where he developed a side venture building beautiful custom furniture for family, friends, and clients.
While Scott and Meg raised their kids in Menlo Park, Scott maintained an enduring commitment to the outdoors. Whether mountaineering in the Pacific Northwest, backcountry skiing with friends around the world, camping with family and close friends, mountain-biking weekly with his buddies, or surfing throughout California, he felt most alive in the mountains, the ocean, and the wild places in between.
Scott was the rare person who felt equally at home in the great cities of the world, as well as wandering through the most rural and untouched climes. His mantra was “No Wasted Days” — a credo that he lived by daily.
During 2025, Scott took a 10-month sabbatical to ski throughout the western United States/Canada and surf on the west coast of Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Everywhere he traveled, he eagerly connected with old friends. A devoted planner at heart, he loved adventure and could always be counted on to originate the most exciting plans and follow through on the details. He loved planning travel to share with others.
In that vein, whether it was work, play, travel, or relaxation, he focused all of his energies on relationships. He was a devoted husband, an enthusiastic and loving father, a wonderful son and brother, and a fiercely loyal friend. He was positive, funny, kind, and made those he loved feel special. He lived life to the fullest and pushed all those he loved to do the same.
He is survived by his father Jim, his sister Julie, his wife Meg, his son Miles, and his daughter Sadie, as well as many adoring family and friends. He will be missed daily, remembered always, and his legacy will live on in all the people who are fortunate enough to call themselves his friend.
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