Washington County Enterprise-Leader
Still Active At 99 Years Of Age
Irene Scott of Prairie Grove recently celebrated her 99th birthday with family at her home.
Scott, who was one of six children, was born July 31, 1921, at home in Linntown, Penn., located in the central part of the state. Her parents eventually left Linntown for farm life and Scott spent the rest of her childhood and teen years on the farm.
She milked cows and helped with chores. She contracted diphtheria and scarlet fever from a classmate. Fortunately, she recovered, but it was a harrowing experience for her.
Irene Scott received her education in a one- room school, located several miles from the farm. She tells stories of walking to school and speaks about the pot-bellied stove that was used in the school not only to heat the room but sometimes for baking potatoes.
Following high school graduation, Scott began her nurse’s training in Mifflingburg, Penn., and while there met her future husband, Dr. Arthur Richards. She worked in hospitals, but when the war came along, she began private nursing. Many of her colleagues were drafted by the government to serve overseas.
Scott and Dr. Richards moved around while he was continuing his education. They settled in Littlestown, Penn., where he had a private practice and Irene worked alongside him. Arthur was drafted by the Army in 1952 and served in Korea. He was a surgeon in a MASH unit, but tragically, he was killed in a helicopter crash while there.
Irene continued to live in Littlestown, following his death. By now, their daughter Christine had been born.
Irene was living in Littlestown, when she met Tom Scott, an officer with the U. S. Air Force. They married in 1957, and Irene and Christine moved to Japan to join him.
Tom, Irene, and Christine lived there for six months. In the following years, they lived in Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Missouri. Tom and Irene built their retirement home on Table Rock Lake, near Blue Eye, Mo. Tom passed away in 2010.
Irene has one child: Christine (Richards) Scott and one “grandcat.”
She still loves to cook, read books on history and enjoys watching the Cooking Channel and Dr. Pol. She stays well-informed on the current political issues. In years’ past, she was an excellent seamstress.
Irene attends First Presbyterian in Lincoln and was raised in the Dutch Reform Church in Pennsylvania. She has been involved in church all her life and is known for wearing hats to church. She has quite a collection of stylish hats, many dating back to the 1940s and beyond.