Oletha "Lea" Scott

Our world drastically changed on January 30, 2025 when our mom, Oletha "Lea" Scott passed away after a brief illness. Mom, the family introvert, quietly accomplished more in life than she realized. Her life began in Oklahoma on May 28, 1934. Her family moved to the Las Cruces, NM area when she was a child. It was in Las Cruces where as a young woman, she met our dad and they began their 48-year journey together. While the two of them lived in various states over the years, New Mexico was always home. During their journey, Mom went back to school becoming a great nurse, was the relentless family caregiver and most of all an exceptional mother who led by example. Without ever being abusive, Mom taught us to follow the rules and respect authority. Her love of reading taught us that the skills of reading and comprehension are invaluable life-long tools. And she taught us to love unconditionally. A phrase often heard when we were being less than well-behaved children was, "I may not always like you, but I will always love you." No matter how huge our mistakes, we always knew Mom would be there to support us as we learned from our mistakes. While we will miss her terribly, we rejoice that she has finally rejoined our dad, Willard A. Scott, Lt Col. (Ret) AUS, our brother, Jim, our grandparents, her brother, Billy Yandell his his son, Patrick. Keeping Mom's memory alive are her children, Mark and wife, Barbara, Jeff and wife, Dawn, Carol and husband, Roy; her grandchildren, Travis and wife, Rachel, Sarah, Emily and husband, Ryan, Amy Rebecca, Peter and wife, Jaime, James and partner, Angie, Tad and fiance, Carolina; her great-grandchildren, Spencer, Nolan, Allie and Quinn. A private memorial will be held at a later date. Mom will be laid to rest with Dad and our brother at Santa Fe National Cemetery. If you wish to remember our mom, in lieu of flowers, we ask that you donate to Barrett Foundation, Inc., 10300 Constitution Ave NE, Albuquerque, NM 87112 or to your favorite charity.