Marjean Bowers Scott Raised `A Big, Huge, Warm Family'

Sally Simmons remembered the epic reunions her mother organized, where all 11 of Marjean Bowers Scott's children and their families gathered in Bellingham.

Kate Scott, the youngest daughter, recalled her mother supporting her when she wanted to change careers. And Mrs. Scott's son, Bill Scott, remembered the children having all they needed, despite there being so many of them.

"We always had a full table. We never went hungry," Bill Scott said. "She loved her children and her grandchildren all very much."

It may have been a crowded house for the Scott children growing up, but their mother never made it feel that way. Mrs. Scott guided six boys and five girls into adulthood over a period of more than 30 years, and maintained close ties with them as they began their own families.

Mrs. Scott died last Friday (Aug. 29) of complications stemming from a heart attack. She was 75.

Mrs. Bowers was in Bellingham High School's first graduating class, and married Howard Pollard Scott in 1941. The couple later divorced, but they remained friends and helped each other raise the children.

Her friends described her as a private person who enjoyed gardening and the company of her dog, Frankie. She was also an avid Seattle Mariner fan, and was known to plan activities around their games. "She always used to get upset when TV wouldn't broadcast games when Randy Johnson was pitching," Simmons said.

For her children, some of the fondest memories of Mrs. Scott were of family gatherings on front lawns or around dinner tables. Mrs. Scott organized the family's yearly summer reunions, which usually centered on potluck meals in a Bellingham park.

Mrs. Scott put up with "usual and some unusual" challenges in raising her children, Simmons recalled, including the emotional strain created by her divorce.

"This is a big, huge, warm family," Simmons said. "And it's a credit to her that it's that way. With all those kids, it was like having two families sometimes."

Mrs. Scott is survived by her children and their families: Melinda and Willis Greer, Jr., of Iowa City, Iowa; Sally and Gene Simmons, of Burlington, Skagit County; Betsy and Earl Johnson, of Eugene, Ore.; Mary and Bud Larson, of Bellingham; Katherine (Kate) Scott, of Bellingham; Howard R. Scott, of Bellingham; William Scott, of Anchorage; Charles Scott, Whitefish, Mont.; Frank Robert Scott, Telluride, Colo.; Michael and Marci Scott of Auburn; Timothy and Erin Scott of Auburn; her cousins, George and Judy Sefrit of Blaine, Whatcom County; Anna Simaz of Orinda, Calif.; Mary Jane Sefrit of Boca Raton, Fla.; brothers-in-law Melvin Oberg of Bellingham, Dr. Nathaniel C. and Ruth Scott of Mount Vernon; and Beulah (Jimmie) Scott, Omaha, Neb.

Memorials can be sent to Sehome Arboretum, in care of the Western Washington University Foundation, Western Washington University, Old Main 445, Bellingham, WA 98225.

Sean Cavanagh's phone message number is 206-515-5688.CQ His e-mail address is: scav-new@seatimes.com