Clarence Allen "Jack" Scott
Marriages
Lena Mae Collins - July 21, 1950
Burial Details
Obituaries
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 6B Obituary - July 10, 2019
Clarence Allen Scott ”Jack” was born with a smile on his face on November 2, 1926, to Mary Pearl Lloyd Scott and Clarence Alvie Scott. Jack was cracking jokes and making all the world smile minutes after he could talk. Spending his first ten years in Texas and Oklahoma, his father owned his own gas station and work as an auto mechanic. Jack used to say the tumbleweeds were so bad, they’d pick up dogs as they rolled through. In 1937, due to his sister’s illness, the family moved to Grand Junction to escape the dust. Jack called his time at the Fruitvale School “the beginning of the greatest life a person could have.” While Fruitvale was an amazing school his perspective was skewed by the fact that at a fifth grade party he kissed a cute, sassy, dark-haired girl while sitting on the rabbit hutch. Living in a large, two-story house at the west end of North Ave., Jack spent time dancing, fishing and running around in fields with his best friends. His love for those fields motivated him to turn them into the current Grand Mesa Little League fields. He often spoke of his memories of how he learned to play basketball on the dirt courts at Fruitvale. No nets on the rim often lead to arguments about whether the shot actually went through. “This was the beginning of my love for basketball, that lasted all my life,” he noted. Always the smarty, but with doctor-style handwriting and perhaps questionable spelling, he once lost a bet with a sixth grade teacher over a spelling test, and nearly cried when he turned over the box of candy owed the winner. His integrity was never in question, despite his spelling. As Jack entered his teen years, the standout memories include moving into a new home and transporting a piano and beds via wheelbarrow; waking early each morning to start the stove; being the first school to beat the GJHS basketball team twice(!); lollygagging; playing Ditch ‘Em; riding bikes over the Monument; 50-mile paper routes; milking cows three times a day; hoeing a garden because he was a cultivator of things-including his relationship with that dark-haired girl. Jack often mentioned that even though he spent time with her prepping decorations for prom, Lena Mae actually attended the dance with someone else. But Jack knew that she was a great catch and was willing to put in the time and effort! Jack did pretty much everything during those teen years, except study. Despite his poor grades, he managed to graduate. At 19, Jack was drafted into the Army and was sent to Fanning, TX, where he waited three months for his orders. Consequently, he played a lot of basketball and ping pong during that time. When he finally got his orders, he was able to quickly come home and see Lena Mae again. The Army then sent him all over the country and then to Germany. In Europe, he joined the paratroopers and transported war criminals to the Nuremberg Trials. Following his discharge from the Army, he returned to Denver where that dark-haired girl was in nursing training. Despite the challenges and “horrible smells” of working on an Alaskan fishing boat, he ultimately earned enough money to graduate from Mesa College with numerous basketball wins and awards under his belt. He was all-conference for two years, top-5 scoring in two years, and-true to his early character-was nicknamed “Smiley” for his positive attitude on the court. Following graduation, he lived with a good friend, Stan, after whom his son was later named. Finally, the dark-haired, sassy girl was convinced, and Jack married Lena Mae Collins on July 21, 1950. He finished his master’s degree at the University of Denver, got a teaching and all-sports coaching job in Hotchkiss where he made an amazing $3,200 a year, coached the Hotchkiss basketball team to a state playoff birth with a 22-3 record, and there made many life-long friends. In 1963, the family moved back to Grand Junction, where Jack and Lena’s fifth child was born, and Jack became the admissions director at Mesa College for 23 years. He was also very proud of his work as the women’s basketball coach. His love for this school and what it brought to the community never waned as he spoke of the school often and with love. Jack remembered these years as full of joyful events; holiday parties, birthdays, crazy games, old pictures, costumes, Wendy’s hamburgers, dancing and playing cards. He was always looking for a game of poker, blackjack, and red devil. Always the punster, Jack was the Oak Tree of the family. Never sappy, but providing shade when needed, support through the storm and strong to the end. Jack retired from CMU in 1985, at which point he and his wife traveled the U.S. and the world, seeing most states and 13 countries! He designed and built two homes, enjoyed gardening, and working his peach and apple orchards. All of Jack’s children attended Central High School in Grand Junction, and you could always count on Jack’s attendance at every sporting event. Regardless of who was playing, Smiley was cheering them on! His time on City Council was a source of considerable pride. He was true to his convictions despite strong pressure from those who didn’t agree with him. He stood strong with class, conviction and style, all with a smile on his face. Jack was married to Lena Mae for almost 70 years and said goodbye to her just two months before we said goodbye to him. Before his passing, he reflected: “When one spouse dies, the other, I’m sure, thinks about the best of what they did. My wife and I liked to do many things together, but what we both loved more than anything else, was to celebrate holidays and traditions.” Jack’s life was rich through connecting, reaching out to others, and propelled by making others smile. He was always larger than life, and his legacy lives on through those connections. “I have no regrets,” he said recently. “I had a great life, the best wife I could ask for, my children are great people, I’ve done almost everything I wanted in life.” Jack is survived by daughters, Glenna, Kim (Terry), Rebecca (Ford), Andrea, and son, Stan (Pam). He is also survived by 12 grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren. A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, July 13, 2019, at 10:30 a.m. at Callahan-Edfast, 2515 Patterson Rd., Grand Junction. Memorial contributions can be made to the Jack Scott Memorial Scholarship: www.supportingCMU.com/give/other; or by mail: CMU Foundation, Attn: Jack Scott Memorial foundation, 1450 N. 12th St., Grand Junction, CO 81501.
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 3D Obituary - July 7, 2019
Clarence Allen Scott ”Jack” was born with a smile on his face on November 2, 1926, to Mary Pearl Lloyd Scott and Clarence Alvie Scott. Jack was cracking jokes and making all the world smile minutes after he could talk. He spent his first ten years in Texas and Oklahoma where ever his dad could find work as an auto mechanic. Jack used to say the tumbleweeds were so bad, they’d pick up dogs as they rolled through. In 1937, due to his sister’s illness, the family moved to Grand Junction to escape the dust. Jack called his time at the Fruitvale School “the beginning of the greatest life a person could have.” While Frutivale was an amazing school his perspective was skewed by the fact that at a fifth grade party he kissed a cute, sassy, dark-haired girl while sitting on the rabbit hutch. Living in a large, two-story house at the west end of North Ave., Jack spent time dancing, fishing and running around in fields with his best friends. His love for those fields motivated him to turn them into the Grand Junction Little League fields that are still there today. He often spoke of memories of how he learned to play basketball on the dirt courts in Grand Junction. No nets often led to arguments about whether the shot actually counted. “This was the beginning of my love for basketball, that lasted all my life,” he noted. Always the smarty, but with doctor-style handwriting and perhaps questionable spelling, he once lost a bet with a sixth grade teacher over a spelling test, and nearly cried when he turned over the box of candy owed the winner. His integrity was never in question, despite his spelling. As Jack entered his teen years, the standout memories include moving into a new home and transporting a piano and beds via wheelbarrow; waking early each morning to start the stove; being the first school to beat the GJHS basketball team twice(!); lollygagging; playing Ditch ‘em; riding bikes over the Monument; 50-mile paper routes; milking cows three times a day; hoeing a garden because he was a cultivator of things-including his relationship with that dark-haired girl. Jack often mentioned that while he spent time with her prepping for prom, Lena Mae actually attended the dance with someone else. Jack knew that she was a great catch but was willing to put in the time and effort! Jack did pretty much everything during those teen years, except study. Despite his poor grades, he managed to graduate. At 19, Jack was drafted into the Army and was sent to Fanning, TX. Sadly, the Army lost his records so he was stuck there for three months. Consequently, he played a lot of basketball and ping pong during that time. When he finally got his orders, he was able to quickly come home and see Lena Mae again. The Army then sent him all over the country, then to Germany. In Europe, he joined the paratroopers and took war criminals to the Nuremberg Trials. Following his discharge from the Army, he returned to Denver where that dark-haired girl was in nursing training. Despite the challenges and “horrible smells” of working on an Alaskan fishing boat, he ultimately earned enough money to graduate from Mesa College with numerous basketball wins and awards under his belt. He was all-conference for two years, top-5 scoring in two years, and-true to his early character-was nicknamed “Smiley” for his positive attitude on the court. Following graduation, he lived with a good friend, Stan, after whom his son was later named. Finally, the dark-haired, sassy girl was convinced, and Jack married Lena Mae Collins on July 21, 1950. He finished his Master’s degree at the University of Denver and got an all-sports coaching job in Hotchkiss where he made an amazing $3,200 a year. They started their family, having four of their five children in Hotchkiss, and made life-long friends there. In 1963, the family moved back to Grand Junction, where Jack and Lena’s fifth child was born, and Jack became the admissions director at Mesa College for 23 years. He was also very proud of his work as the women’s basketball coach. His love for this school and what it brought to the community never waned as he spoke of the school often, with love. Jack remembered these years as joyful events; holiday parties, birthdays, crazy games, old pictures, costumes, Wendy’s hamburgers, dancing and playing cards. He was always looking for a game of poker, blackjack, and red devil. Always the punster, Jack was the Oak Tree of the family. Never sappy, but providing shade when needed, support through the storm and strong to the end. Jack retired in 1985, at which point he and his wife traveled the U.S. and the world, seeing most states and 13 countries! He designed and built two homes, and always had a garden, peach and apple orchards. All of Jack’s children attended Central High School in Grand Junction, and you could always count on Jack sitting in the front row every sporting event, regardless of who was playing. Smiley was cheering them on! His time on City Council was a source of considerable pride. He was true to his convictions despite strong pressure from those who didn’t agree with him. He stood strong with class, conviction and style, all with a smile on his face. Jack was married to Lena Mae for almost 70 years and said goodbye to her just two months before we said goodbye to him. Before his passing, he reflected: “When one spouse dies, the other, I’m sure, thinks about the best of what they did. My wife and I liked to do many things together, but we both loved more than anything else.” Jack’s life was rich through connecting, reaching out to others, and propelled by making others smile. He was always larger than life, and his legacy lives on through those connections. “I have no regrets,” he said recently. “I had a great life, the best wife I could ask for, my children are great people, I’ve done almost everything I wanted in life.” Jack is survived by daughters, Glenna, Kim (Terry), Rebecca (Ford), and Andrea, and son, Stan (Pam). He is also survived by 13 grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren. A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, July 13, 2019, at 10:30 a.m. at Callahan-Edfast, 2515 Patterson Rd., Grand Junction. Memorial contributions can be made to the Jack Scott Memorial Scholarship: www.supportingCMU.com/give/other; or by mail: CMU Foundation, Attn: Jack Scott Memorial foundation, 1450 N. 12th St., Grand Junction, CO 81501.
