In Memory of Scott Holtzman aka SkyKingOH a True FreePBX Champion

It is with a heavy heart that I share the passing of Scott Holtzman, a cherished member of the FreePBX community for over 20 years. Scott was a pillar of our community, known for his tireless dedication, immense technical expertise, and generous spirit. His company, Micro Advantage, graciously sponsored the hosting of the FreePBX repositories for many years, even before FreePBX and later Micro Advantage was acquired by Sangoma . Scott was always there to lend a helping hand, especially during the “Schmooze wall of phones” days—whether it was Vegas, Atlanta, Fort Lauderdale, or Miami, you could always count on Scott to be there, assembling and taking down booths, working hard behind the scenes.

Scott wasn’t just a tech guy; he was also an AV specialist with a company that set up sound systems in the Cleveland, Ohio area, and a passionate pilot who loved flying. He introduced me to the world’s best key lime pie at Southport Raw Bar & Restaurant, and every time we were at a show in Florida, he made sure to carve out time to visit his mother. His love for his wife, Elaine, was clear to anyone who knew him—she was his rock.

Our last conversation was in July, and we talked about baseball, as we often did, especially the Guardians and the Savannah Bananas. We were even planning a trip to catch a game. Scott and I shared many heated discussions over the years, particularly in the early days of the forums when I’d have to ask @SkykingOH to “tone down his passion” every now and then. But it was never out of malice. Scott’s intensity came from a place of wanting to help and improve, and I always admired that. He was never afraid to stand up for his ideas, but five minutes later, we’d be talking about life or baseball, because with Scott, it was always about the mission—making FreePBX better—not personal egos.

Scott’s contributions to the global success of FreePBX were immense, and his absence will be deeply felt. He loved this community, poured his heart into it, and built a remarkable career from that passion. He was a defender of logic, a fighter for the best outcomes for the project and when we worked together our customers, and a friend who could argue fiercely one moment and share a laugh the next. The FreePBX world has lost one of its greatest champions.

Please consider supporting Scott’s family through this difficult time by contributing here: Fundraiser by Holly Cochrane : Support for Scott's Loving Family and Care Needs.

Rest in peace, Scott. You’ll be missed more than words can express.

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This one stings pretty hard. FreePBX and the project would not be where it is today if Scott had not be around in those early days. Back in the Trixbox days Scott held the record for the most post by anyone. He had tens of thousands of post helping people on the forums. Even though he stopped being very active in the forums years ago, his fingerprints exist all over FreePBX. RIP my dear friend.

I believe this was the very first FreePBX world. 2009ish. In the picture from top, left to right.

Scott @SkykingOH, Luke @datorherren, Andrew @tm1000, Bryan @GameGamer43, Preston @reconwireless

Philippe @plindheimer, Mike @mikewhite, Allison Smith, Myself.

I hope this community rallies around helping to cover the cost Elaine is looking to raise. Scott had been sick for a couple years and was not able to work.

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Sad to hear. We were coworkers more recently, but most of my memories of Scott are from our interactions on this forum from way back when I first started using FreePBX. His Snoopy avatar was front and center on the old forum when I was a mere tadpole.

Thanks for the contributions @SkykingOH.

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Sad to hear this , I enjoyed working him as well - In the early days I recall reading his forum comments and having a chuckle or two.

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This is very sad news to hear. Few people have roots in FreePBX going as deep as those of Scott. When I took leadership of the project in 2006, Scott was already part of its DNA. Scott provided influence and guidance throughout the evolution of FreePBX.

My memories are very fond spanning the early days of the project hauling ‘wall of phones’ tradeshow booths in a trailer across the midwest. (and sawing off the top foot of the booth in the hotel parking lot to fit in the unexpected low ceiling exhibition hall) … We worked as partners for many years, eventually incorporating his company and customers, Micro Advantage, into the FreePBX infrastructure when he merged with the project.

Scott’s passion, expertise and sincerity will be missed. His footprint will forever live in the FreePBX project.

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This is very sad news indeed. Scott was a truly unique individual.

I met Scott much later than others here, working for him after he came to Sangoma via acquisition and took the reins of the Network Operations team (which included me). He was always a huge advocate for all things FreePBX and was proud to be a part of the project and the community surrounding it.

There was never a shortage of conversation with Scott, especially if you shared mutual interests like we did (tube amps, vintage computing, steak—you name it!). We quickly became friends, and I looked up to him as a mentor as well. His guidance during my “greener” years was invaluable. He was always ready to share his knowledge and experience, whether it was about technical matters or non-tech things alike from his many years in the network space.

From countless nights at the Hibernia Diner during record-setting snowstorms to jet skiing at @tonyclewis 's cottage and everything in between, there is a plethora of good memories with Scott.

Rest in peace and fly high @SkykingOH !

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I don’t know if there is any of us that go all the way back to the trixbox days that don’t call Scott a friend or give him such tremendous respect. Going to the various conferences back in the day, two of the people I always looked forward to seeing and having dinner with were Scott and Fred Posner. When he came to work with us when I was at Sangoma it was such a natural addition and made complete sense. No lies I kinda wish he followed the rest of us on our followup adventure. In any case this Scott was an OG in this realm and this community and his absence will be noticed. Rest in peace brother…

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@plindheimer great to see you here. First time in 5 years you posted. Wish it was under better circumstances. Scott was that amazing of a guy to this community that you came back after 5 years of retirement to help us all remember him. Thank you.

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I wanted to add something about just how much Scott gave to this community. Since 2008, Scott contributed over 7,500 posts in the FreePBX forums—helping people, sharing knowledge, and troubleshooting. If you break it down, that’s about 1,500 hours of his time. At a PBX support rate of $150 per hour, that’s $225,000 worth of support he gave freely to all of us.

But Scott didn’t care about that—he was just here to help. His time, dedication, and passion made a real difference. It’s hard to quantify that kind of impact, but anyone who’s been around knows how much Scott meant to this community.

We’ll miss you, Scott. Thanks for everything.


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Scott will always be remembered as an active and dedicated member of our community. He even presented during the recent 25th Anniversary AstriCon virtual event, sharing his knowledge and passion one last time.

AstriCon 2024 Countdown: The Future of Securing FreePBX

Scott’s insight and unwavering commitment to the project will be deeply missed by all of us. Rest in peace, SkykingOH—you have left an indelible mark on this community.

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This was a great night. It’s hard to believe we ever looked that young :slight_smile:

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Scott’s wife Elaine asked that I post this message from her. She saw this thread.

“ Scott truly enjoyed working with all of you, giving his time to share his knowledge and experience to others whenever possible. He enjoyed every moment working on all things FreePBX. Thank you all so very much for sharing your stories. I feel I know all of you personally from all the stories he shared with me over the years. God bless all.”

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As I was drifting off last night, I suddenly remembered this post of Tony’s which I would never have guessed was over 10 years ago

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I did not have the pleasure of meeting Scott in person, but I remember reading his posts, especially in the early days. I am thankful for his presence in the forums, and his great assistance to others.

May the Lord be with his family during this time of need.

Christian

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Scott will always be remembered. I had the privilege of working closely with him for many years and learned so much from him. Rest in peace, SkykingOH—you have left an indelible mark on our community.

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I had totally forgotten about this. I have so many stories about Scott I could write a book.

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@lgaetz and @tonyclewis found this newscast online about @SkykingOH 's convenience store run that turned him into a hero. I had forgotten about that as well.
https://youtu.be/ZklX5mxSAVU?si=wK6RtBALOuedhHwL

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