Henrietta Scott Obituary (1939 - 2022)

Henrietta “Hen” (Mink) Scott passed away May 22 at age 83. She was born April 6, 1939, in Virginia, en route to a hospital in Kentucky, the eldest child of Jim and Lil (Woodward) Mink. She spent her childhood in the Cumberland Gap, splashing in springs and creeks, hopping across boulders, and dodging snakes with her many cousins, and moved to the Illinois stateline as a teenager, where she graduated from Pecatonica High School in 1957. Her coal-black hair and Southern accent caught the attention of John Scott Jr. during their high school days, and she eventually found and accepted the engagement ring that he’d placed in his car’s glove box. The pair married January 2, 1960, and spent almost their entire married life in Durand, where they raised two daughters, welcomed countless relatives to the kitchen table for coffee and baked goods, and spoiled their two granddaughters, who somehow never lost at Sorry! or The Uncle Wiggily Game to Hen and definitely never went hungry under her watch. Hen will be remembered for how much she cared. Whether sibling, parent, spouse, child, or grandchild — of any age — if you were ill, she nursed you; if you were hungry, she fed you; if you were interested in something, she encouraged you in it and joined you, be it from the crowd or by your side. And in her final years, when it was her turn to be cared for, she took great comfort and pleasure in fussing over her beloved “granddog,” Sammy. Hen is survived by her husband, John Scott Jr. of Durand; daughters, Wendy (Loren) Hainchek of Rockton and Kelly (Arthur) Jones of Dakota; granddaughters, Sadye (Cory McHale) Scott-Hainchek of Des Moines, Iowa, and Layla Scott-Hainchek (Chavez Borrego) of Loves Park; siblings, Dian Campbell of Durand, Jimmy (Janice) Mink of South Beloit, and Mike (Mike “Rob” Roberts) Mink of Rockford; and many nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews, great-great-nieces, great-great-nephews, and cousins. She was predeceased by her parents; infant brother, Billy Mink; siblings, Peg Pederson and Ran Mink; and brothers-in-law, Dan Campbell and Doug Scott. The family would like to thank Alice Thomas and Northern Illinois Hospice for their loving care during Hen’s final illness. Private services will be held at a later time; memorials can be made to Northern Illinois Hospice. “Home again, home again, jiggety jig.”