Eunice J. Scott, age 82, of Joplin, MO went to be the Lord on Thursday, June 25, 2026.
Eunice was born on August 13, 1943, in Long Beach, California to her parents, Martin and Mable Mitchell (Augspurg).
Following Martin’s service to his country in the United States Air Force in World War II, the family relocated to Quincy, IL and later to nearby Philadelphia, MO… a small town in Northeast Missouri.
Eunice graduated from Philadelphia High School in 1961 as a standout basketball player and homecoming queen. She went on to play basketball at Northeast Missouri Sate Teachers College (known today as Truman State) for 2 years. In the fall of 1963, she joined her fiancée and high school sweetheart. Richard Scott, at the University of Missouri in Columbia to complete her education and subsequently receive her degree as an Elementary Physical Education teacher in 1965. After her junior year, she and Richard married on June 7, 1964 and lived in campus housing for married couples. Upon their graduation in 1965, Richard accepted a position in Joplin, MO with Baird, Kurtz & Dobson as a CPA, and they relocated to Southwest Missouri where they remained.
They began expanding their family in December 1965 with the birth of their first child and by April 1971, she was now the proud mom of 4… but she wasn’t done. Richard’s career exploded and as she embraced the role of motherhood, she was always making room for more.
Richard and Eunice were pioneers, leaving family and friends and all that they knew to establish their life and family in the Joplin area. However, over the years they brought family in stages to their newfound hometown. In the late 1960’s, Richard’s younger sister, Gail moved from Northwest Missouri to live with them while she attended and graduated from MSSC. While in Joplin, Gail met and married Dallas “Rick” Dammen, a native of Minnesota. Years later, Eunice’s sister Linda, nephew Jeremy, and mother Mabel all moved to the area. In the meantime. There were regular and sometimes lengthy visits from family. She was always the best hostess, an excellent cook, and she loved decorating her home. She loved her home to be filled with family and friends.
Movie stars Roy Rogers and Dale Evans had made an indelible impression on Eunice in her formative years by adopting 4 children. By the late 1970’s, Eunice had become convinced that her family was not complete and her childhood desire to someday adopt had remained an unfulfilled dream. After some discussion, Richard was on board with the plan to expand their family through adoption. They proceeded with the required steps and processes to adopt through the Missouri Division of Family Services. A couple of years into the process, they still had not been presented with any prospective children to add to the family. Eunice was becoming discouraged with the process. But… God began to move in this area. Just a short time later in 1981 she watched a program on ABC’s Nightline which featured an orphanage in South Korea, and the wheels were now in motion. She began making phone calls to ABC, seeking information about the orphanage featured in the program… and on July 12, 1983, the Scott’s drove to Minneapolis, MN and watched their 17-month-old baby girl arrive along with a plane filled with babies and children from South Korea. This special baby girl was a life changer for Eunice and the entire family. Mother’s Day weekend in 1985 they were back at it. This time they met their little double blessing, an almost 7-year-old tiny little boy also from South Korea. With his addition, Eunice now felt her family was complete! Following two successful adoptions, she started a local adoption support group and was successful in assisting other families in achieving their dreams of becoming parents through the miracle of adoption.
Teaching and loving children was one of her life-long passions. Her official classroom capacity was limited to that of a substitute and extended substitute for Carl Junction schools when her children were in grade school. However, she was most comfortable in the role of Mom and Nana teaching her children, grandchildren, neighborhood children and Sunday School children all about Jesus! Nana was well known for summer Bible School lessons on her back deck followed by McDonald’s breakfast runs. She taught Sunday School faithfully at Frisco Church in Webb City, MO for many years.
As the loving nurturer, Eunice’s love for children was rivaled by her love for animals… “All Creatures Great and Small”. In 1977, she and Richard purchased a 250-acre farm where her love for all animals became apparent. On the farm, there were cats, dogs, horses, ponies, sheep, cattle, pigs, chickens, ducks, and rabbits. Both Richard and Eunice gave their children free reign to utilize the farm as a sanctuary of sorts for many, many unwanted, unloved, and abused cats and dogs. Farm life could be harsh for such tender hearts and not a winter went by that Eunice didn’t have a baby calf half frozen and starved in her kitchen warming them up with a hair dryer and bottle feeding them. She and the kids named the farm animals…even the cows. She also became fairly prolific at helping to “work” the livestock with vaccines.
In addition to her love for Jesus, her family, and animals, Eunice was an athlete and a competitor. In the event that sports were not an option, she was eager to play and WIN in a fierce card game. Following her high school and collegiate basketball career, she chose to stay active, joining a bowling league with Richard and other couples. She then added weekly tennis matches with her girlfriends. Unfortunately, her tennis was cut short by a torn Achillies tendon. Injury and time transitioned from the athlete to the athletes’ mama. Year round she could be found in the stands, gymnasiums, or bleachers of baseball, and soccer games. She loved cheering for her children and grandchildren over the years.
Eunice began experiencing issues with her heart and underwent open heart surgery in 2008. In spite of many heart-related health issues in the last 18 years and some unrelated issues/injuries as well, she has continued to love and serve Jesus faithfully while staying connected and involved with her precious family. She has been able to enjoy so many milestones in recent years with her grandchildren graduating from high school and college, getting married, and the births of great grandbabies. Through it all, she has been an ever-present figure…at choir and band concerts, volleyball, soccer, basketball, and football games and championships.
She also found much reward in her weekly contributions and participation with her son-in-law and daughter’s church with weekly outreaches. Any chance to minister, pray with, or simply show Jesus’ love to area children brought her unlimited joy!!!!!
She is preceded in passing by her parents Martin and Mabel Mitchell; one sister, Lina Plunkett.
She is survived by Richard Scott of Carl Junction, MO; Sister-in-law, Gail (Dallas) Dammen of Marshall, MN; Co-Nana/Bestie-In-Law, Leta O’Neal of Joplin, MO; six children, Christie (Steve) Helton of Carl Junction, Curt (Misti) Scott of Carl Junction MO, Gretchen (Jeff) Freeman of Webb City, MO, Tim (LaDonna) Scott of Joplin, MO, Patrick (Julie) Scott of Carthage, MO , and Joli Scott (Justin Crane) of Joplin, MO; Fifteen grandchildren, Amanda (Todd)Bierbaum, Garrett Ward (David Moreshead), Andrew (Grace) Scott, Jacob (Jennifer) Freeman, Hannah Ward, Hunter (Alyssa) Freeman, Megan (Ty) Earp, Katie Scott, Rylee (Cooper) Knight, Eli Scott, Kylie Scott, Faith Scott, Ethan Scott, Joshua Helton, and Eian Scott; nine great-grandchildren, Grayson, Rosalie, and Tate Scott, Hayes Earp, Elliana and Addie Freeman, Finley, Archer, and River Freeman; nephews, Jeremy (Bridget) Plunkett, Jeff (Kelly) Plunkett, and Matthew (Sarah) Dammen; Neice, Amanada (Pablo) Allen; and last but not least, her precious Toy Poodle and constant companion, Beau!
A visitation will be held from 6:00-7:00pm, Tuesday, June 30th, 2026, at Mason-Woodard Mortuary at 3701 E. 7th St, Joplin, MO 64801.
Services will be held at The Altar Church at 1122 Illinois Ave. Suite 105 in Joplin, MO 64801.
