Dena Lee Scott

Dena Lee Dickey Scott passed quietly on the morning of April 22, 2023.

At 91 years of age Dena Lee Dickey Scott lived a big life.  The daughter of a Presbyterian pastor she grew up in a Christian home and throughout her life, her faith never wavered

Dena was born in Dallas on April 12, 1932 and lived all over the state of Texas, but she always called Midland home because that’s where she met her husband Orlen Scott and raised her two children, Helen and Clyde.  On many occasions she said these were the happiest years of her life

Dena was a role model for her family with a gritty and fearless approach to life.  She wasn’t afraid to pursue things that were outside the traditional roles for women at the time, and unknowingly paved the way for many things women take for granted today.

She was tireless in the pursuit of her dreams starting with earning a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Trinity University in 1953, something that was rare for women to pursue at the time.  She was also a member of the marching band.

After graduation Dena proved to be a pioneer for women again, this time in the workforce.  Despite all the obstacles she somehow managed to fulfill the traditional roles of a wife and mother while also growing a professional career in the heavily male dominated oil industry. True to her character, she only worked for one company during her 29-year career, Shell Oil Company.  She worked in the mid-continent division in Midland, followed by a move to Houston in the mid 1970’s

As if juggling a career and family weren’t enough, Dena was also passionate about sports so she took all the required steps to be a certified gymnastics judge, traveling the entire state working youth and high school competitions.  She found the talent and enthusiasm of the young ladies competing admirable, so she sacrificed her weekends to drive across the state for little more than gas money and lodging.  Giving her time to watch and encourage these girls brought her much joy.

In her later years Dena enjoyed reading everything she could get her hands on, working crossword puzzles, and watching sports, …  ALL sports.  Sports seemed to be her connection to the outside world and she could strike up a conversation with a perfect stranger about any sporting event of the day.  Of course, she enjoyed a good debate about the performance of the coaches or players.

Another admirable part of Dena’s legacy was her commitment to her grandchildren.  Dena was a strong proponent of education and together with Orlen, her husband of 53 years, unselfishly set aside money to help each of the grandkids with their education.  Even when times were tight, contributions to those accounts never wavered.

Dena is preceded in death by her parents Charles and Helen Dickey, her husband Orlen Scott, her sister and brother-in-law Margaret and Delbert Rowland, and several other family members and friends.  Dena leaves a legacy of hard work, endless love and straight-shooting honesty for her children, their spouses, 6 grandchildren and their spouses, 2 great grandchildren, (with one more on the way).  Services will be held privately.

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