MPW.69 / 2017 The Gentle Giant by Eduardo Lima
Photographer
Eduardo Lima Toronto, Canada

Team Cliff & Vi

Story Summary

Anyone who meets Phil Scritchfield, 65, for the first time might feel intimidated by this big guy with a shaved head. But you don't need more than 5 minutes chatting with this former meat cutter to discover a friendly man hidden behind a bushy goatee. Twenty years ago, attracted by the rural aspect of life in Eldon, MO, he bought a piece of land on the outskirts of town and few years later left Kansas City, right after the end of his first marriage. Not long after arriving in the small town, Scritchfield remarried and started a new chapter of his life. Today he divides his time between his recycling business and the cattle farm he runs with his wife. He works hard and business is not what it once was but he has no intent on leaving behind life in this small town in the heart of Missouri. “When you live in the best place, why go somewhere else?”