Scott O’Con, a Cleveland transplant from Richmond, Virginia, who instantly adopted Cleveland as his hometown and was known for his knowledge and enthusiasm for the city through his Tours of Cleveland, LLC, died suddenly on Sunday, July 28.

O’Con and his husband of 12 years, Jason Thompson, moved to Cleveland’s West Park neighborhood from Northern Virginia in 2017 when Thompson became senior pastor of West Park United Church of Christ. Cleveland quickly became home for the couple.

O’Con began researching Cleveland’s history and historic architecture and he soon quit his job in HR to start the tour company.

Tours of Cleveland thrived, with O’Con leading both visitors and locals on walking tours of downtown landmarks, public art, and interior architecture. He was also known for his seasonal tours—like the Downtown Cleveland Christmas Tour of the grand downtown department stores of the past, holiday lighting, and Cleveland Christmas Traditions; or Tales of Terror, with seven real-life horror stories involving fires, explosions, a serial killer, and a streetcar that plummets into the Cuyahoga River.

O’Con was known for his knowledge and ability to tell a riveting story about Cleveland, telling FreshWater in 2019, “I’ve had people from around the world and all over the country say, ‘Oh, I had no idea all of this was here.’ Even people from Cleveland who go on my tours are like, ‘I’ve been here my whole life, and I didn’t know half of that existed.’”

In addition to his interest in history and historic architecture, O’Con enjoyed attending theater performances in Playhouse Square, live music, travel, and his cats, Leonard and Shelby.

Details on the future of Tours of Cleveland will be posted on the company’s website. Our thoughts are with O'Con's and Thompson's families, loved ones, and the West Park UCC congregation.

A service of worship to celebrate his life will take place on Saturday, Aug. 10 at West Park United Church of Christ, 3909 Rocky River Drive, 44111. Visitation will begin at 10 a.m. with worship celebration at 11 a.m., followed by a reception.