Martha Ann Meinsen Scott, age 75, a resident of Fort Scott, passed away on July 5, 2022, after a short and devastating battle with Cancer.
She was born on December 5, 1946, to Erwin William Meinsen and Dorothy Caldwell Meinsen in Kansas City, Missouri.
Martha graduated from Raytown High School in 1964 and enjoyed working as a young woman in Kansas City.
In November 1969, she went on a blind date that turned into a lifelong commitment lasting 52 years. During that first date, Jim and Martha danced the night away and bonded over their shared love of a very specific brand of cigarettes (Benson Hedges Menthol) and their favorite Beatle (George Harrison). Jim showed up the next day at Crown Drugstore where Martha worked and asked for a second date. Martha decided to host Jim and cooked him an unbelievable meal. He proposed and within 2 weeks of meeting, they were married. They eloped at City Hall in Kansas City, Missouri on November 26, 1969. They chose Thanksgiving weekend because they would have 4 days off and it would be a convenient way to meet the family.
Jim and Martha lived in Kansas City and moved to Nevada, Missouri in 1972. Martha began a 27 year career as a Personnel Officer at the Nevada Habilitation Hospital where she became best friends with Shirley Ann Bastow – a friendship that lasted 50 years. While in Nevada, Martha was active in many organizations including St. Paul Lutheran Church as a Sunday school teacher, organizer of salad and potluck luncheons, and volunteer in the office. She also held various leadership roles with the Jaycee wives at the local and state level. Jim and Martha were very active outdoors people spending their weekends camping, canoeing, and trout fishing. Martha also started another role that she excelled at – as Mom to Sarah born in 1976.
Jim, Martha, and Sarah moved to Fort Scott in 1988. In addition to work, Jim and Martha opened Scotty’s Wine and Spirits on National and operated the establishment for over 15 years winning the Chamber of Commerce Small Business Award for their commitment and impact to the community. Martha continued working at the Nevada Habilitation Center until she retired in 1999. She retired early to fulfill her lifelong dream of being a homemaker for her treasured home (named Linderhof) – cooking, cleaning, gardening, and documenting all of her adventures through her weekly columns in the Fort Scott Tribune and Nevada Daily Mail, as well as other publications and her blog – Lines from Linderhof.
In 2013 and 2015, Martha realized the role she was born for – as Nana to Granddaughters, Lucy, and Piper. As a Nana, she hosted so many tea parties (with pinkies up always and with fancy hats), crafted, baked, played cards and board games and was always ready for just about anything that Lucy and Piper could dream up.
Martha was deeply rooted in the Fort Scott community, and she became incredibly active in so many organizations and activities. She was committed to her church, Trinity Lutheran, serving as head of the kitchen and food committee and organizing events, helping in the office, and volunteering any way to support the church. She loved being a member of the FU Chapter of PEO and also loved her sisters and happily served as President. Martha was an avid reader going through a book a day in retirement which led to her serving on the Board of the Fort Scott Public Library. She loved the history of Fort Scott and was a founding member for the organization Friends of the Fort and was awarded a lifetime membership for her service. She also was President of the Kansas City chapter of to the Daughters of Union Veterans (DUV). She was also a member of the DAR and loved doing historical family research. She was a passionate gardener becoming a Certified Kansas Master Gardener and founding the Garden Club of Fort Scott. Martha was renowned for her cooking and became a founding member of the Cookbook Club and Birthday Club. She was known for baking and decorating thousands of cookies or whipping up cakes or pies in support of many fundraisers. While not a member herself, she also supported husband Jim’s efforts as a Rotarian helping with potato feeds, spaghetti feeds, and doing ALL of the cooking for Oktoberfest for 19 years – arguably, one of the most festive Rotary events. She was a pet parent to many beloved dogs including most recently Doogie and Molly who are now living with her Granddaughters in Minnesota. Her love of animals led her to coordinate, raise funds, and help build the Dog Park now located at Gunn Park. She was a member of many sewing groups and was always working on a needlepoint or sewing project – usually for her beloved Granddaughters – making their annual Christmas Ornaments or custom Halloween Costumes. For all of her commitment to the community, she and husband, Jim together won the Chamber of Commerce Lifetime Achievement Award which was one of her proudest achievements.
Survivors include: her husband, Jim Scott and 1 daughter and her family: Sarah and Andrew Punch and their daughters Lucy and Piper of Excelsior, Minnesota. Additional survivors include Martha’s brother, David Meinsen (Lee’s Summit, MO) and his 3 daughters. Jennifer and Todd Rains and their daughter Alexandra (Sarasota, FL), Stacy and Brian Hitchcock and their daughter Kayleigh (Pleasant Hill, MO), Crystal and David Blackburn and their son Dawson (Pleasant Hill, MO).
A memorial service will be held at 9:30 AM Monday, July 11th at Trinity Lutheran Church.
Burial will follow at 11:00 AM at Fort Scott National Cemetery.
The family will receive family and friends at a visitation Sunday, July 10th from 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM at Trinity Lutheran Church.
In lieu of flowers, please support an organization important to Martha. Her family suggests either Friends of the Fort or Trinity Lutheran Church and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, PO Box 347, 201 S. Main St., Ft. Scott, KS 66701. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.