Jean V. Scott

Jean Van Scoten Scott Obituary

Age 101

Born: November 19, 1923

Entered Heaven: February 15, 2025 

Of Kalamazoo

Jean was born November 19, 1923 in Canton, Pennsylvania. She was preceded in death by her husband of 63 years, Dr. Frank Scott, brothers Max and James.

She is survived by two sons,

Robert (Melinda) of Kalamazoo

Grandson; Joshua Scott (Jenna), Grandchildren; Parker and Nylissa

Grandson Michael Scott (deceased), Grandchildren; Cody and Emily

Gordon (Kristin) of Kalamazoo. 

Grandchildren:

Erin L. Scott

Elizabeth A. Scott

Mara J. Scott

Andrew E. Scott

Arrangements were made last year by Adams-Redmond Funeral Home 4100 S. Westnedge Ave. (269) 343-6156.

She was laid to rest at Ft Custer Military Cemetery next to her true love Frank.

Jean was born November 19, 1923 in Canton, Pennsylvania to Roy and Bessie Van Scoten. She was one of three children: an older brother Max and a younger brother James.

She grew up in “Plain Folks Country” in Mechanicsburg Pennsylvania until she was 14 years old when her father Superintendent of Schools in that area died. It was the depression years and the family had to move to Athens, PN to live with Grandpa George Van Scoten. It was 1937 and times were hard.

She graduated from Athens High School with honors, went to Ohio State University and graduated from the School of Home Economics. She lived with Aunt Effie, her father’s sister, during that time. Effie was a mentor, surrogate parent and College would have been impossible otherwise. Jean then took a job teaching Vocation Home Ec. in Pleasant Hill Ohio just north of Dayton for two years.

Frank Sherman Scott was the love of her life from the moment she first saw him when she was a Junior at Athens High. They had gone steady and when he came home from WWII (a pilot in the ETO) they were married August 21, 1947 in the Sayre Presbyterian church where her Mother and Dad had been married in 1916.

Frank went to college at Purdue University and Jean taught Voc. Home Ec., Biology, and Phys Ed, ran the school cafeteria and managed 4 H. This job helped to keep them solvent.

After graduation they took jobs at Fort Wayne and three years later they moved to Flint where two little boys were born, Robert and Gordon Scott. This was a wondrous event and a dream come true.

After three years working for General Motors, they moved to Kalamazoo where Frank worked at Western Michigan University, eventually earned his doctorate degree, advanced to Professor and then Chairman of the Industrial Engineering Department.

During that time, they started their ADVENTURE YEARS.

1960-63

WMU had an eight-year technical school project in Ibadan Nigeria sponsored by AID (Agency for International Development) and they signed up for a 2-year assignment. Frank was the “Chief of Party” managing a team that installed all the equipment, trained Nigerian staff and set up the curriculum. Jean’s challenge was creating social events to keep up moral, driving on the left side of the road, running a household with no grocery stores and raising two little boys 4 and 6.

1966-68

Next they all went to Ankara, Turkey with USAID for two years where Frank worked with the Ministry of Industry and Technical Schools.

Jean learned to speak Turkish and taught village girls to sew on the Singer treadle machine. They were in the elevator when an earthquake occurred. It was like being in a peanut and shaken vigorously. The boys were attending a Boy Scout camp and thought they had stumbled as they fell to the ground.

When they came home from Turkey, they bought a cabin “up north Michigan” living thee during the summers. They went cross country skiing in the winter some weekends and for Christmas through New Year. Skiing in the Manistee Forest was great. And going to each other’s cabins for parties and skiing home in the moonlight was adventuresome.

1976

The next USAID assignment was to Cairo Egypt for six months to work with the Ministry of Education helping them update their Vocational Program as related to Egyptian Industry. Once again Jean learned basic Arabic and was fortunate enough to live in a huge boarding house for transient experts in fields that were needed by the Egyptian government. She met many of the wives and became familiar with the native markets in the old section of the city and loved the history of Egypt, visiting the monasteries in the dessert, the Pyramids, el Alamayn, Luxor and Abu Simbel. In between typing all Frank’s reports, she had time to learn about taking rides on the feluccas on the Nile in the spring. She also sewed baby pajamas on a treadle machine for the Nuns, and did bake sales for the embassy.

When Frank retired, they sold their house in Kalamazoo and moved to Venice, Florida with friends from Purdue days and her brothers’ families.

They spent summers at the cabin “up north” on the Pine River. Each grandchild: Erin Elizabeth, Mara, Michael, and Josh came up every summer for a week by themselves and what wondrous adventures they all had. They would go to the library and load up on books, then to the grocery and buy their favorite foods, then to Dairy Queen for a super drink and take it to Lake Cadillac and sip away. Then they would go back to Pine River, take hikes, eat wild raspberries and strawberries, ride the paddle boat up the river and back, inspect the beaver dams, cook out good stuff, work on the doll house, and play cars with Anna.

1985 the International Retired Executive Corp asked Frank to consult in the Philippines for three months. They moved to San Fernando (4 hours north of Manila) living with Father DeBuc, a Dutch Priest who had run the college since 1945. Jean volunteered and subbed in the high school and helped update records in the office. All the Dutch Priests came down from the mountains once a month for a retreat. The priests loved Frank and Jean and would stay over just to visit and eat meals together.

All of those overseas adventures were a real challenge and also a great opportunity for international travel. During vacations they traveled;

Nigerian road trips

Saffari in Kenya

Jerusalem at Christmas

Turkish road trips

Ephesus: Ref “Letter of Paul to the Ephesians” in the New Testament

Each time coming home they went to Germany, bought a Volkswagen Beetle and drove around Europe for a month. Then they loaded it into an Ocean Liner and sailed home to New York.

When life “up north” became too demanding they sold and moved to the Florida community year-round.

When their health started to fail and they needed more help they decided to move back to Kalamazoo and found Wyndham retirement community to settle in. Another good decision as the staff and residents were a joy to be with.

In his final years Frank was diagnosed with Dementia and they were blessed to have Rob’s family nearby during challenging times.

Jean then suffered a stroke effecting her left side that greatly reduced her mobility and daily activities. But she was a trouper taking all the PT she could, smiling and keeping her great attitude on life.

Gordie retired and moved back to Kalamazoo too. He was able to spend 2 years with Jean until she passed. She lived at Wyndham for 17 years

Mom said “It was an exciting and rewarding life. We gathered stamps wherever we lived and in retirement spent many hours cataloguing them, studying the history and entertaining friends from throughout the world. In this last chapter I served on the Board of Directors here at Wyndham, representing the people that live here. You can’t say Life Has Passed Me By!!!!!!!!!!!”