Noel Scott

Mr. Noel Dane Scott, 93, passed away Wednesday, January 12, 2022. It doesn’t seem possible, because if there’s one word to describe him it’s “lively.” Noel was born January 18, 1928, in Lincoln County, Arkansas to the late Mansfield and Elizabeth Scott. In addition to his parents, Noel is preceded in death by his sister, Carolea Scott Hassard and brother, Arlen Scott. He is survived by his loving family: wife, Breva; daughter, Marsha; son, Dane; daughter-in-law Leslie; grandchildren, Sam and Katy; and sister, Beth Backus. Online condolences may be made at www.hayworth-miller.com.

Two things defined Noel’s life: faith and family. These were imparted to him at an early age by his parents, Mansfield and Elizabeth, an avid reader who named him after the playwright Noël Coward. Mansfield owned a filling station and worked a small farm in Star City, Arkansas, where Noel learned how to fix anything, the name Mister Fix-It stuck to Noel the rest of his life. Mansfield also passed on a deep and abiding interest in studying the Bible and Noel lived his Christian faith his entire life. He grew up in a happy and loving family with his older brother, Arlen, and younger sisters, Beth and Carolee.

Noel can claim a true love-at-first-sight story, when he saw a young woman named Breva Robinson across a crowded room at a dance in the Pine Bluff, Arkansas YWCA. He described their courtship in simple terms: “I chased her until she caught me.” They were married in 1950 and he was a devoted husband for over 71 years. Noel was an equally devoted father — he was always available to give advice, lend a helping hand or fix anything. Noel instilled a love for wild places in his children, taking them hiking, camping, and hunting in the Arizona deserts and mountains almost as soon as they could walk. He was a wonderful travel companion for his daughter, Marsha, and a one-man pit crew for his dirtbiking son Dane.

Noel was a dedicated life-long educator. In 1955, Noel, Breva, and toddler Marsha left Arkansas for Arizona to teach grade school on the Hopi Indian reservation where the family soon found close friends and community. This bold decision set the course for Noel’s professional life as an educator in the Bureau of Indian Affairs, moving frequently around the Southwest before finally settling in Riverside, California in 1969, where Noel and Breva cultivated lifelong friendships. Through it all, he encouraged his students to embrace and preserve their culture. In 1975, he retired as the superintendent of Sherman Indian High School in Riverside California. He didn’t stay retired for long and soon began a second career teaching in California Baptist College’s teachers’ certificate program. He also served for many years as the senior visitation pastor at Victoria Community Church.

His life took a new focus when his first grandchild, Sam, was born in 1993. Katy soon followed in 1995 and Noel was the best grandpa either of them could ask for. Noel and Breva relocated to Winston-Salem, North Carolina in 1994 to be closer to their children and grandchildren. Noel and Breva looked after the young Sam and Katy while Dane and Leslie were at work, and as Noel often said, “They didn’t even charge us!” Always up for an adventure and willing to test himself, his children and grandchildren could not ask for a more godly, loving, generous and wise father and grandpa. If there’s another word to describe Noel, it’s “generous.” He was always asking his grandkids if they wanted more of anything at dinner, and he taught them the polite response wasn’t no, it was “more time.” If his family and many friends could ask him for anything now, that would be it. Fortunately, Noel left us with a treasure house of stories, which he was always quick to share. He lived by his creed, the three-L’s: love, laughter and language.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to https://www.gideons.org/donate/ .