Gloria Ann (Desbien) Scott departed this world January 22, 2021, in her
Plainville, Kansas home surrounded by family. She was born in rural
Graham County on April 22, 1938, to Arthur and Oneida (Dunning) Desbien.
As the oldest of four children, she and her siblings, lgrew up on a
farm east of Damar. It was at the St. Joseph Catholic Church in Damar
that Gloria developed her deep faith and love for God.
Following her education at Damar High School, Gloria attended
Marymount College in Salina, earning an associate degree, allowing her
to begin teaching in Southern Kansas. It was during this time that a
handsome young man named Ralph Scott of Hill City entered her life and
actively pursued her. While he attended Fort Hays State College, he
courted her on weekends by driving the distance to see her, often
offering her a ride home over college breaks. Ralph was persistent in
his love for this woman and asked for her hand in marriage. They wed at
her beloved Damar church on June 2, 1959. When Ralph graduated from
Fort Hays, he accepted his first teaching job in Lebanon, Kansas. It
was there that the couple established their first home, and Gloria
learned to stretch their humble budget by making tomato sandwiches with
the tomatoes she grew.
One year later, Ralph and Gloria welcomed their first child, Randy,
to the family. Two years later, Michelle was born on a snowy night,
requiring Ralph to recruit the neighbors to get Gloria to the hospital
on time. A second daughter, Denise, followed in 1963, and Ryan arrived
in 1967. After a tragic farming accident, Randy was taken from the
family in 1968. It was the faith of Ralph and Gloria that sustained
them, and Grandma Oneida often said having Ryan as a baby gave Gloria a
reason to get up every day to go on. Their last child, Corey, was born
in Colby in 1971.
Throughout Ralph’s advancing career and required job moves, Gloria
maintained their home and cared for her children. She was an excellent
cook and took pride in providing delicious food for her family. Holiday
meals were true culinary feasts, and she instilled her traditions and
skills in her daughter, Denise. While Gloria no longer taught in a
classroom once she married, she supported her husband’s educational
goals by reading to her kids and ensuring homework was done correctly.
Gloria wanted her children to have every possible advantage in life, so
she actively attended sporting events, 4-H, FHA, and FFA activities, and
suggested various ways they could enrich their lives. One Halloween
she encouraged Michelle to wear a Calamity Jane costume. However, she
insisted Michelle read about her character before she could strut her
cowgirl ensemble. Encouraged by their mother, Denise and Michelle sold
vegetable and flower seeds to neighbors during the summer months to
raise money, and they assembled their friends to sing Christmas carols
in the neighborhood and local nursing home during the holidays.
She was her sons’ biggest cheerleader in the stands during football
games and wrestling matches, and she beamed with pride watching them.
Gloria supported Ryan’s desire to learn to play the saxophone, and she
encouraged his practice even when the constant squawking filled the
house! The entire family was actively involved in delivering the Denver
Post in Colby during the 1970’s. The Scott summer vacations were never
extravagant monetarily, as they never traveled to Disney World or
stayed in expensive motels. Rather, the family bonded in mountain
cabins, fishing in streams, and exploring rock formations. Gloria
supported her husband’s love of the farm and nature, and the two passed
this love on to their children. The boys drove tractors or combines
alongside their father, and the girls helped their mother prepare meals
to take to the fields. Gloria gave loving care to her flower beds and
vegetable garden. She emphasized good healthy habits in the choices of
foods she ate and walked miles every day to keep physically fit. Her
son, Corey, followed his mother’s influence in his lifestyle and
occupation. Gloria occasionally worked outside the home, selling Avon
and real estate, and working for Rooks County as a personal care
assistant to the elderly and disabled. Her service to her clients
brought her true joy.
Five months after Ralph retired from teaching, he suffered a severe
stroke, leaving him substantially paralyzed. Gloria’s devotion to her
husband caused her to fight for her husband’s health care. She attended
his therapy sessions, met with numerous doctors, and cheered his
accomplishments to regain some of his abilities. She was again at his
side as he battled cancer, and she remained devoted to him until his
death on June 6, 2005. She is also preceded in death by her parents,
Arthur and Oneida Desbien, and her first-born son, Randall.
Survivors include her siblings and their spouses: Vern and Marcia
Desbien, Fort Collins, Colorado, Steve and Billie Desbien, Lamar,
Missouri, and Karla and Mar Wyss, Fort Wayne, Indiana; her children:
Michelle Scott, Great Falls, Montana, Denise and husband Scott Orcutt,
Ogallala, Nebraska, Ryan Scott, Winfield, and Corey Scott, Prairie
Village; four grandchildren: Christopher Babcock, Courtnie Cammarata,
Cole Scott and Brodie Scott, and four great-grandchildren: Riley,
Lionel, Arlo, and Loie.
Gloria’s love of God was not a display; it was real. She lived her
faith daily. Her children attended Sacred Heart Grade School in Colby,
and her daughters were song leaders at daily Mass. Gloria wanted her
kids to share her deep faith, insisting that her children attend weekly
Catechism classes. She cried with joy when Ryan was selected as
“Catholic Youth of the Year” during his senior year. Gloria attended a
weekly Bible study group that allowed her to grow as a Christian, and
she developed deep friendships with the group’s members. She respected
her friends’ love of God, and she truly appreciated their ability to
envelope her with God’s love and acceptance. It was this faith that
sustained Gloria through her life’s tribulations and declining health.
It is that faith that comforts her children to know that she has gone on
to a better place where her body is now whole and renewed.
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