Orvella Yvonne Scott

Orvella Scott

     Orvella Scott was born on October 28,1935 to Orville T. and Blanche B. Nichols. She lived in Colorado for her entire life, most of it in Brighton. She passed away unexpectedly on March 24, 2025 at the age of 89 after contracting pneumonia as a complication of HMPV.

     Orvella spent her childhood with her older brother, Gerald, and her parents in a cozy house on 4th Street. She spoke often of the adventures they had living across the street from the train track. She looked forward to walking to the corner to meet her dad when he got off work.

     When she was just 11 years old, her dear father was tragically killed in a horrific car accident. Her entire world was upended, and she frequently stayed with her Grandmother Venard as the family struggled to cope with their enormous loss. Her mother later married Russell P. Copple, adding two new stepsisters, Betty and Del (Delores), to her family. Over the years, they became true sisters of the heart.

     Orvella attended Brighton High School and worked at the town bakery after school hours. While she was in high school, she spotted her future husband, Harley, walking his little sister, Sandy, to school. That was the beginning of a lifelong love. The bakery was where their romance was revealed when she waited on her future mother and sister-in-law with Harley’s ID bracelet dangling from her wrist.

     Orvella graduated from BHS in 1953 at the age of 17 and married Harley on June 20th of that same year. She had her three children-Lori in 1954, Penny in 1956, and David in 1957-by the time she was almost 22 years old. She was an extremely busy young mother.

     Orvella’s life work and greatest source of pride was staying home and raising her children, making certain her family had the very best life she could provide. She showered them all with love and attention and watched them always with a careful eye. She was a gentle mom, usually soft-spoken, but would unleash her inner Mama Bear on anyone who even thought of crossing her family. Her grandsons still find delight recounting stories or sharing memories of their feisty grandma doing just that.

     As her children got older, she took a job at the Montgomery Wards Catalogue Store in Brighton and later worked as an administrative assistant for the Adams County District Attorney’s Juvenile Diversion Program. She very much enjoyed the work and the people she worked with at both places. She was an impressive typist who could even take dictation using shorthand. After she retired, she spent several years enjoying life with her husband. They could be found working in their yard or at their favorite destination, Las Vegas, watching Englebert Humperdinck perform. Englebert and Elvis were her favorites.

     In 2006, she suffered another unimaginable loss when her precious son, David, tragically died. Her immeasurable grief nearly consumed her, but she eventually rediscovered her trademark tenacity to once again attend to her number-one priority-her family. She had 5 delightful grandsons by that time whom she cherished-Matthew, Jared, Jonathan, Tyler, and Troy-and in 2009, she was blessed with a darling great-granddaughter, Jaycei Belle.

     Orvella adored her grandchildren. She was their fiercest champion and their steadfast rock. She spoiled them endlessly. At Christmastime, there was a mountain of presents for them to open, always a refrigerator stocked with favorite foods to eat, fun games to play, and cuddles and kisses as much as they allowed. She never missed sending them each a birthday or holiday card, sometimes more than one, which she painstakingly selected for the perfect personal message it conveyed. Tucked inside literally every card was a check or cash. She and Harley could often be seen at their grandsons’ football and basketball games in towns around the state. Orvella even learned to stream the games she could find on the internet when her “boys” grew up and became high-school coaches. She was the ultimate example of unconditional love.

    When Orvella lost her beloved husband of 66 years in 2019, she found herself living alone for the first time in her life. She learned how to do all of the things he always had taken care of or found someone who could-often her grandson, Jared. Despite missing Harley every single day, she managed to create a satisfying life with the attentive care and support of her loving family, her longtime caregiver, Jeanne Connely, and her wonderful neighbors, Gary and Shirley Lowe. We sincerely thank them for being there for her and us. Orvella succeeded in doing what she most wanted-living in her own home of 69 years until she departed this earth. She was very proud of that.

     Orvella was an avid reader, especially the past 5 years. It was a challenge to keep her library stocked! She even read the entire Outlander series and couldn’t bring herself to watch the videos. They just didn’t compare to the images in her mind. She loved to paint her garden gnomes and figurines and finished a few paint-by-number paintings before her eyesight prevented her from continuing. She adored flowers. She loved her yard and especially her pink bubblegum petunias. They were the talk of the neighborhood. Weekly fresh-flower bouquets were her special treat. She also spent countless hours completing jigsaw puzzles on her iPad and relished a quick trip to Central City to try her luck on the penny slots. She enjoyed the home-cooking of her sons-in-law, Steve and Jeff, who frequently prepared their specialties for her. Lastly, she absolutely adored her fur babies, her dogs Tippy and Louie.

     Orvella is predeceased by her parents, her brother, her son (David), and her husband (Harley). She is survived by her daughters, Lori Fahl (Steve), Penny Scott-Oliver (Jeff); her grandsons, Matthew and Jared Fahl, Jonathan and Tyler Oliver, and Troy Scott; her great-granddaughter, Jaycei Belle Fahl; her sisters, Betty Grantham and Del Otzenberger; and her sister-in-law, Sandy Adams, plus several nieces and nephews.

     Rest in gentle peace, sweet Mother and Grandmother of ours. We love you endlessly and will miss you beyond measure. Thank you for being our light in this world.

     For all who loved her, please take a moment to appreciate the beauty around you and remember her.

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