Eileen Frances Scott

Eileen Frances Scott was a country girl at heart.  Born in Mt. Jackson, VA in 1942, Eileen was the second youngest child of Brady and Bertha Lutz, who ran a local country store/butcher/dance hall/restaurant/gas station in Mt. Jackson.  She had three older brothers, an older sister and a younger sister (Herman, Ernie, Weldon, Virginia, Galen and Drusilla, all deceased.)  Eileen spoke often and fondly of the steady stream of activities and people that passed through her father’s store.  The memories of those times tied her to the area for the rest of her life. Growing up in Mount Jackson, she fondly spoke of helping build the Grace Church’s nativity scene. Eileen was a strong believer in the importance of family, and she never ceased to act upon that attitude for the rest of her life.

She was in the first class to graduate from Stonewall Jackson High School in 1960.  From there, she attended Mary Washington College, then the woman’s college of the University of Virginia.  She majored in math and accounting and received a BS degree.  Though she never spoke of it, she must have been proud to be her family’s first girl to graduate from college.

After college, Eileen began her career, first as a math teacher, then moving into accounting and actuarial work.  Her final position was with the United Way, where she was responsible for tracking and moving funds numbering into the millions of dollars.  She retired in 2009.

While Eileen had a long, successful working career, that was not where her heart was.  That came along in 1967, when her daughter Stephanie was born.  From then on, she and Stephanie would be a team, taking on the world together.  Shortly after Stephanie was born, Eileen moved to Alexandria to be close to Ginny and Herman.  Stephanie had an active school and after-school life, being in the Girl Scouts (where she advanced to Gold Star rank) and T. C. Williams High School marching band and Baptist Temple Church choir.  Throughout all her activities, Eileen was right there, volunteering to plan trips, direct activities and help out wherever she was needed.  Despite being a single mom, in an era much less forgiving to that situation, she was ever-present in her daughter’s life, while working full-time to support the two of them.  (Eileen was married from 1972 to 1984 to Kerrigan Scott (deceased), but ultimately decided that she and Stephanie were better off on their own.)  Eileen raised Stephanie on her own, with help from her best friend, and big sister Ginny, who lived nearby.

Stephanie would go on to earn degrees in engineering and accounting, following in Eileen’s footsteps.  In 1996, Stephanie married Chip, and they had three sons, Brady (2000), Ryan (2002) and Ayden (2007.)  Eileen, who always put family first, doted on her grandsons from the day they were born.  She and Ginny were always available to babysit, so much so that we never once had to hire a babysitter for anything.  At Christmas, each grandson was treated as an only child, with Eileen arriving with a car stuffed with gifts and toys.  And it wasn’t just material things that Eileen provided her grandsons.  Along with Ginny (she and Eileen were always together for all sorts of activities), her grandsons were treated to regular outings to meals, fairs and concerts, from a very young age right up to the present.  There were many regular trips back to her home town for county dinners.  Eileen remained attached to, and proud, of her rural roots, and frequently shared stories with her grandsons, so they would know where she came from, and that it was part of their heritage too.

Eileen never missed one of her grandson’s musical performances, and she made an effort to attend many of their sporting events as they grew up.  Believing family was important, she had a constant presence with Stephanie’s family, by going to summer concerts, county fairs, Hershey Park and coming over almost every Sunday for dinner. 

Once Stephanie was out on her own, Eileen found her next real love – country western dancing.  With her sister Ginny, Eileen would be out two or three nights a week dancing as members of the Northern Virginia Country Western Dance Association (NVCWDA).  First, she was a social dancer, but then she began teaching.   Thus began a 30-year-career of teaching county western line dancing.  Over this time, and hundreds of students, she taught for NVCWDA, the Fairfax County Park Authority and the City of Fairfax.  Thanks to her fluid dancing skills, and her patient and effective teaching attitude, many students returned to take her classes over and over again.  She freely gave her time to volunteer and took on numerous roles and responsibilities in helping managing the NVCWDA.  Eileen so loved dancing that she taught classes in the park pavilion during COVID restrictions.  She retired from teaching this past summer because she felt she wasn’t able to teach at her best.

While Eileen was very active in the dance community, it was not her only social outlet.  As a person who liked being with people, and bringing people together, Eileen spent time with other groups too, including the Arlington Moose Lodge.  In April 2021, Eileen was made a Women of the Moose Life Member, in honor of 50 years of service to the lodge and local community.   This was in addition to her memberships in the American Legion, TOPS and local senior groups which she actively participated.

Once retired from dancing, Eileen worked to stay active.  She began a regular regimen of walking, increasing her distance with the goal of doing at least 10,000 steps a day.  Frequently she would come to Stephanie’s house, and walk with one of her grandsons, so she could exercise and spend time with him.

One Sunday in late October, Eileen wasn’t feeling well.  At the hospital, it was found she’d had a series of strokes and a heart attack.  She left the hospital soon thereafter to go to rehab.  Her chief complaint in rehab was that they wouldn’t let her exercise enough.  She was working hard and making progress until just before Christmas when she had another stroke, from which she wasn’t able to recover.  Surrounded by her family, Eileen Frances Scott passed away peacefully on December 31st, 2021.

Eileen’s passing is a tragic loss for Stephanie and her family.  Eileen was a big part of our daily lives, either in person, or just with phone calls as she called to see how things were going.  The only consolation is that Eileen is now reunited with all her brothers and sisters, pain-free, and presumably line dancing at her daddy’s country store in heaven’s version of Mount Jackson, VA.

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