Dorothy Margrete (Hektner) Scott, beloved mother and grandmother, passed away on January 12, 2017, in Burlington.
Dorothy was born on December 7, 1919, in Fargo, North Dakota, to Martin and Hilda Hektner. She was raised in a close-knit extended family, who originally emigrated from Norway in the late 1800s and settled in the Fargo area.
Dorothy attended North Dakota State for two years and then transferred to the University of Minnesota, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 1942. Dorothy, with two of her fellow graduates and life-long best friends, joined the Army Nurse Corps. She began her training at Fitzsimmons Hospital at Fort Carson in Denver, Colorado. Upon completing training and commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant, she was sent to London where there was extensive bombing. Following D-Day, she was part of a hospital group attached to troops in France and Germany, setting up mobile hospitals and caring for wounded soldiers.
After the War, Dorothy returned to Fargo, and in 1946, married Vernon Scott. He had also served in World War II in the Army Air Corps with the Flying Tigers in China. Their first child, Nancy, was born in 1947. In 1950, the family moved to Billings, Montana. Vernon was called back to active duty in the Korean War. Their second child, Mary, was born in 1951 while he was overseas.
In 1953, they moved to Seattle. One year later they moved to Bellevue, which at the time was a very small town of 12,000 residents. Her son, David, was born in 1954. They lived in a great neighborhood where the children played with their large group of friends, and all the mothers became very close and watched over everyone.
Dorothy worked for a few years as a public health nurse and school nurse in the the mid 50s, then went to work full-time in 1964 when she was divorced. She became a single parent at a time when that was uncommon; she bought a home on her own, which was almost unheard of for a single woman. Dorothy retired from the King County Health Department in 1984, having worked at the Eastside Office and then the Renton Office. She loved working in her community with her fellow nurses, many of whom became close friends.
Dorothy was a life-long, devout Lutheran. She cherished her faith and lived her entire life as a Christian. She attended Pontapiton Lutheran Church in Fargo, where she was confirmed in 1933. She was a member of Grace Lutheran and then St. Luke’s Lutheran in Bellevue. She was very active at St. Luke’s and very much enjoyed working with her fellow church members and Pastor Tom Kidd. Also, she was part of a Cursillo Group for spiritual growth and support, for two decades.
Dorothy loved being with her family and was truly the matriarch. She had two grandchildren while in her 50s, and then two more 17 years later in her 70s. What a treasured gift they all were to her. She was the best “Grams.” Dorothy took many trips with her family, but her best travel companions were her brother, Joe, and her sister-in-law, Mary, who was really a sister to her.
Dorothy treasured her close friends. They were also her extended family. They supported each other, traveled together, attended plays and the opera for years, and just enjoyed being together. Dorothy was also a member of the Women’s Overseas Service League for many years.
Dorothy was strong and independent, and at the same time, reserved and gracious. She was an inspiring role model to her children, and was the best mother any child could hope for. She was always there for her family unconditionally, and will be missed beyond measure.
Dorothy is survived by her children, Nancy Scott of Mount Vernon, Mary Scott and husband Sam Stiltner of Seattle, and David Scott of Bremerton; her grandchildren, Eddie and Michelle Rancic, and Sarah and Anna Stiltner; her older brother Joseph Hektner, and numerous relatives in North Dakota.
Dorothy was predeceased by her parents, her sister-in-law, Mary Hektner, and former husband, Vernon Scott.
A celebration of her life will be held in the near future at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Bellevue. Remembrances can be made to SPARC of Mount Vernon, St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Bellevue, and the CareTeams Program at Samaritan Center of Puget Sound, Ravenna Office, Seattle.
