2A | WEDNESDAY, MAY 5, 2021 | SIUSLAW NEWS
On The Record
OBITUARIES
SCOTT—Sadly,
John
Spencer Scott passed away
April 9, 2021, at home, sur-
rounded by his family.
He really didn’t want to
go.
While he had been di-
agnosed with pancreatic
cancer for almost a year, he
continued
with his
normal
activi-
ties, din-
ing with
friends
and mow-
ing
his
lawn right
John Scott
up until
the end.
John was born Oct. 15,
1941, in Eldora, Iowa to
Maxwell Joseph Scott and
Ruth Helen Spencer Scott.
His family included his
sister, Victoria, and twin
brothers Jim and Jeff.
His father was employed
as a District Operating
Manager of Iowa Electric
Company and the fami-
ly moved often as he was
promoted. Consequently,
John led a Huck Finn sort
of childhood, fishing and
exploring the rivers and
streams throughout Iowa
and developing a life-long
appreciation of nature.
John attended St. Mary’s
Catholic School in Mar-
shalltown, Iowa, where he
played football and became
an Eagle Scout.
He attended University
of Iowa, graduating with
a BA degree and later ob-
tained an MBA from Drake
University. Upon grad-
uation from Iowa, John
joined the recently formed
Peace Corp and was in its
second class. He was sent
to Colombia, SA, where he
worked on community de-
velopment projects in very
rural areas. He was in Co-
lombia when John F. Ken-
nedy was shot and remem-
bered how stunned and
shocked the villagers were
that this could happen in
the United States.
Upon returning to the
U.S., John joined General
Electric Corp. and married
Diane Glaser. They had
two wonderful children,
Karen Scott Lowthian and
Jeffrey Scott. They lat-
er divorced and, in 1981,
John was offered a posi-
tion as General Manager
of Irvington-Moore, Inc.
in Portland, Ore. He later
started his own compa-
ny, designing and build-
ing projects for the wood
products and recycling in-
dustries.
In Portland, he was in-
troduced to mountain
climbing. He joined the
Mazama
Mountaineer-
ing Club and eventually
climbed all 16 Cascade
Peaks from Mt. Shasta to
Mt. Baker and became a
climb leader for the club.
He had an adventurous
spirit which led him to
crew on a friend’s sailboat,
sailing from Mexico to
Tahiti and he made many
kayaking trips to the Sea
of Cortez in Baja and to El
Salvador and Costa Rica.
John remarried and, in
2000, he and his wife Pat
Riley moved from Portland
to Florence. This was also
done in the spirit of adven-
ture and it was in Florence
that John found the oppor-
tunity to be involved in his
community; an opportuni-
ty that had not been avail-
able to him before due to
his extensive travelling.
He began by serving on
the Port of Siuslaw Budget
Committee and then ran
— and was elected — to a
commissioner seat on the
Port Board. He was elected
to the Dune City Council
and also served many years
as a Director and President
of the Siuslaw Fire and
Rescue District Board.
He was also on the Board
of the Western Lane Com-
munity Foundation and
served as a Director of the
Florence Urban Renewal
Agency (FURA).
John joined Rotary soon
after coming to Florence
and was a Paul Harris Fel-
low. He also started a new
career by joining the Cold-
well Banker Real Estate
Group, retiring from there
in 2012.
John knew a great deal
about ducks, birds and
wildlife. He loved living on
Stilcoos Lake in what he
felt was a nature preserve.
He also loved rafting on
the Rogue, in Hells Can-
yon and on the Owyhee
with his friends. He loved
Elk Camp and also making
annual trips to the Mal-
heur Wildlife Refuge, bird
watching.
He was a member of the
Siuslaw Rod and Gun Club
and Ocean Dunes Golf
Course where, in 2015, he
shot a hole in one. In 2016,
he and Pat represented the
Rotary Club in Belen de
Urcos, Peru, on the upper
Amazon, accepting the vil-
lager’s thanks for a clean
water project the Florence
Rotary Club had helped
sponsor.
John is survived by
his wife, Pat Riley; his
children: Karen and Jeff
and their spouses, Josh
Lowthian and Anne Scott;
as well as grandsons: Gus
Lowthian, Max Lowthian,
Ethan Scott and Spencer
Scott, all of Portland. He
is also survived by his sis-
ter, Victoria Scott; brothers
Jim and Jeff Scott and their
children; and finally, by his
beloved dog, Jake.
John and his father, Max,
were both polio survivors.
Any remembrances in his
name could be made to
The Rotary Foundation for
Polio Plus or to the MacK-
enzie River Trust to aid in
their conservation proj-
ects.
A memorial kayak pad-
dle will be held this sum-
mer at Stilcoos Lake.
Burns’s Riverside Chap-
el Florence Funeral Home
was in charge of arrange-
ments.
COLLING—Christina
Rowena Colling, 70, peace-
fully passed away while
surrounded by loving fam-
ily on Sun-
day, April
25, 2021,
in Albany,
Ore.
She was
the
wife
of Steven
Colling
Christina
and shared
Colling
35 years of
marriage
t o g e t h e r,
living most of their mar-
ried life in the town of
Florence, Ore.
Christina was born in
Florence on Aug. 1, 1950,
to the late June and Homer
Severy. She was the oldest
of four children; her broth-
er Bill Severy preceded her
in death.
She
attended
and
graduated from Siuslaw
Highschool and was em-
ployed as a waitress and
hairdresser while raising
three children. She was a
member of the Florence
Vineyard Church and en-
joyed spending time with
her family and camping at
Munsel Lake in Florence.
She will be remembered
for her unwavering faith in
the Lord and her kind and
generous spirit and her
love for her family. She will
also be remembered by the
many lives she touched in
her community.
Christina is survived by
her spouse, Steven Colling;
daughter and son-in-law
Rebecca and Scott Decker;
son and daughter-in-law
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