It was easy for Karen Kurath to shop for her son.
“He was one of those kids who’d say, ‘Don’t buy me nothing, Mom. Don’t spend any money,'” Kurath said of her son Scott T. Nagorski.
Kurath sent a large care package of food and gifts for her son’s birthday. He died the day after he turned 27. She told Nagorski’s commanders to give the treats to his Army buddies, but many of his birthday cards were returned unopened. And four days after his death, Nagorski’s daughter celebrated her 1st birthday.
Nagorski was close to his maternal grandfather, an Army veteran who fought in Korea, and became a soldier because of him, telling his mom he wanted to be like his grandpa. He re-enlisted with the hope of being stationed near Washington, D.C., because he loved visiting the nation’s monuments.
When he was a teenager, his big dream was to buy a 1962 Oldsmobile F-85, which he did, fixing it up, painting the hubcaps red and taking it to the Solid Gold McDonald’s in Greenfield for the weekly gatherings of hot rod enthusiasts. He sold it before he deployed to Afghanistan. Nagorski planned to buy another Olds when he returned home.
Not surprising for a car nut, Nagorski loved to drive. His stateside car was a PT Cruiser convertible. In Afghanistan, he drove much bigger, heavier military vehicles and told his mom in his last letter that he loved driving off-road in the desert and along steep cliffs.
Scott Thomas Nagorski, of Greenfield, WI, was born November 13, 1983 in Milwaukee, WI. He graduated from Franklin High School in 2002.
“Kids who were struggling and having a hard time, Scott just had a way of working with these students and settling them down, and making them feel comfortable, and Scott had a real gift for that.”  Andrew Misorski, teacher. There’s a lot of value in what Scott represented as a young man. He made a choice to serve and protect us there’s a lot of valor i that choice alone”
Nagorski was an Infantryman assigned to Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). He joined the Army in July 2006 and arrived at Fort Campbell in November 2006.
His awards and decorations include: Purple Heart; Army Achievement Medal; National Defense Service Medal; Afghanistan Campaign Medal; Iraq Campaign Medal; Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; Army Service Ribbon and NATO Medal.Nagorski is survived by his wife, Nadine M. Nagorski; daughter, Melodie A. Nagorski, both of Clarksville, TN; father, Jeffrey Bignell of Friendship, WI and mother, Karen Jasinski of Franklin, WI; sister, Nichole Jasinski, and stepbrother Kyle Bignell.
He was remembered on Nov. 24 at the Max A Sass Funeral Home Mission Hills Chapel in Franklin, WI and laid to rest at Wood National Cemetery in Milwaukee, WI.
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