Ruth Esther Scott

Ruth Esther (Lewis) Scott was born November 2, 1921, in Chicago, Illinois, to Tom and Esther Lewis.Ruth was joined three years later by a sister, Madeleine. After graduating from high school, Ruth attended business school for training in office machines, and from there worked at Acme Steel as a comptometer operator, then at the Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago doing copy editing.
Being convinced by friends to attend a USO Halloween party on October 31, 1943, she met a bashful sailor from Lander, Wyoming,Robert Scott, who was stationed at Navy Pier in Chicago.By evenings end, he had written her telephone number on a paper napkin and said he wanted to call.She assumed that wouldnt happen, but he did call, and by Valentines Day of 1944, a proposal for marriage was made.On April Fools Day, April 1, of that same year, they were married.She always laughed at the coincidence of holidays that marked their courtship.Ruth continued loving and missing Bob until her last breath.
When Robert (or Bob, as many knew him) was discharged from the Navy, he hitch-hiked from San Francisco back to Chicago to retrieve his bride and moved her with him to Lander.
Ruth happily settled in to her life as wife and mother as she and Robert had four children. She spent her time caring for her family and doing volunteerwork in the community.Ruth loved cooking, and her family was coddled as she worked to meet everyones wishes while trying recipes from other countries and cultures.
Work in the Methodist (later, United Methodist) Church occupied much of her volunteer time, and she loved the church and United Methodist Women about as much as a person could.This continued throughout her life, including later years when she needed to sit on a stool in the church kitchen to dry dishes. She also enjoyed the American Legion Auxiliary, DOES, an extension club, and even, after having a couple of heart attacks, Cardiac Rehabilitation offered through the local hospital. The Lander Senior Center also was dear to her and she especially appreciated the care offered through the transportation service.She made friends with each activity.
Ruth followed the news avidly and was a great fan of Barack Obama so much so that she changed her party registration to the Democratic Party, clearly a sign of an independent thinker in Republican Wyoming.
For the past 20 months, Ruth was unable to stay in her home so she lived at Wind River Rehabilitation and Wellness in Riverton, a community that provided her with loving care. She continually said she had so many friends there she couldnt imagine living elsewhere. She valued kindness and a good sense of humor.
Ruth didnt wake up on January 10, 2018, a peaceful way for her to leave this earth.She was preceded in death by her beloved Bob, her parents, her sister, and her dearest friend, Nancy Gimple.She is survived by Tom (Donna) Scott of Lafayette, Colorado; Sidney (Oliver) Walter of Laramie, Wyoming; Frank Scott of Laramie; Dan (Pat) Scott of Phoenix, Arizona.Grandchildren include Stephanie Scott (Jim Dalton) of Ann Arbor, Michigan (children Mara, Ava and Conor); Andy Walter (Katherine Hankins) of Atlanta, Georgia (children Alexia, Amelia, Adeline, Claire); Brett Walter (Mayuri Sobti) of Manama, Bahrain (daughter Ranesa); Eli Walter (Laura Kent) of Muscat, Oman (children Thomas and Elizabeth); Angela (Jon) Balding (children Ava and Benjamin) of Franklin, Tennessee; George (Melody) Scott (child pending in summer 2018).
A memorial service will be held at the Lander Methodist Church on Thursday, January 18, 2018, at 2:00 p.m. Lander United Methodist Church is the designated beneficiary of any memorial gifts.