Founder of Richland’s treasured Ethos Bakery has died. ‘He was the visionary and driver.’

Scot Newell, co-founder of the highly popular Ethos Bakery & Cafe in Richland with his partner Angela Kora, has died.

Newell died unexpectedly of natural causes on Sept. 28 while attending an out-of-town family event, according to a GoFundMe to help bring him home and pay for final expenses.

He was 48.

In addition to building a successful business, Newell was remembered as a musical prodigy, political campaigner, traveler, car enthusiast, dog lover, hiker and cyclist.

His death came just months after Ethos’ major move into a newly-built bakery, restaurant and stone mill space at 2290 Keene Road over Memorial Day weekend.

Newell and Kora established Ethos as a trattoria in north Richland in 2011 and reinvented the model several times before landing in the new spot.

Ethos Trattoria launched the Port of Benton but struggled to attract diners to that sleepy end of town. The couple transitioned into a bakery and cafe in 2017 and moved to south Richland, taking over the former Sharehouse coffee shop when Bethel Church closed the nonprofit community gathering spot.

They added a second location at The Parkway, which gave them space to consolidate when they quit the Keene Road quarters while their new building was under construction a few hundred feet to the west.

“He was the visionary and driver. She was the engineer-turned-hobbyist baker with a love for artisan bread. Together, they built Ethos into the Richland institution it is today,” Ethos said of its founders.

A second GoFundMe campaign is helping Ethos cover lost revenue from a temporary closure and to pay other bills. On Friday, it had raised $9,550 toward its $30,000 goal.

“This is a tricky time, with bills due at the beginning of the month during a time when no one wants to worry about finances,” it said.

Supporters also can help by purchasing gift cards and joining the Ethos Grainbow club.

Go to ethosbakery.net.