The co-founder of Ethos Bakery died in late September from natural causes and now the Richland business seeks the community’s support to get through the days ahead.

Scot Newell was 48 years old when he died while traveling out of town for a family event, according to a GoFundMe page raising money to bring him home.

A separate GoFundMe page has been set up to offset Ethos’ operating costs. “Scot handled all Ethos business/financial obligations and transferring access to those things is taking time – even seeing what numbers are available. Angela (Kora, Ethos co-owner) is actively working on gaining access but until then bills still have to be paid as we enter the first week of October,” Ethos posted on social media.

As of Oct. 10, more than $16,000 had been raised with a goal of reaching $30,000.

Newell, a Richland High School graduate, started Ethos Bakery with Kora in 2011. He was the visionary and driver, and she was the engineer-turned-hobbyist baker, according to a social media post from Ethos.

Together, they built Ethos, which opened a new shop in May in south Richland at 2290 Keene Road.

Ethos consolidated operations into its Richland Parkway shop while awaiting completion of the new building intended to house all baking and milling operations under one roof. The Parkway location is next to Greenies in The Parkway.

Ethos began as a full-service restaurant, Ethos Trattoria, in north Richland before moving to south Richland – across the intersection from their current location – and offering quick-service dining. They operated there for about six years.

Ethos shared other ways the community could support the business, including buying Ethos gift cards or becoming a member of its Grainbow Club.

“Bad circumstances definitely have a way of showing our shortfalls, and the loss of a business owner was not something we thought we had to worry about for a long time. The reality of owning a small business – especially in the food industry is that we often operate on a month-to-month basis, in an economy that keeps getting more expensive,” Ethos posted on social media.

A memorial for Newell was held Oct. 13 at John Dam Plaza in Richland.