Betsy Lee (Aiken) Scofield passed away peacefully after a long illness on Sunday, October 27, 2013, in Beaumont, Texas. Betsy was one of those amazing men and women who constituted the “Greatest Generation” of Americans. She grew up in the Great Depression, and in World War II spent countless hours, in support of our young boys going off to war, as a member of the USO as well as a member of the Junior Motor Corps.
She was born on August 16, 1925, in Brownsville, Texas. Her parents, Olga Overton (Tansill) Aiken and James Riley Aiken were notable. Her father was a college professor and her mother a brilliant and stunningly beautiful Texas woman with a renaissance mind. Betsy grew up for the most part in Brownsville, Texas and graduated in 1947 from the Texas College of Arts and Industries (Texas A&I University – now Texas A&M Kingsville), with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature.
She was an avid reader throughout her life, and cultured, with a love of all art forms including symphony, dance, opera, and poetry. Yet this taste for high culture never showed itself in prudish or stuffy forms, because she was neither. In fact, her brilliance and grace was complimented by respect for virtually everyone she met. And, what’s more, she moved through her life with kindness and a remarkable personal strength.
At the end of World War II she met a dashing and courageous soldier, Louis Scofield. A decorated Army Air Corps ball turret gunner (in a B-17, Germany 1944), Lou would become her husband after the war, a marriage and partnership that lasted sixty-two years.
After marriage they moved for a short period back to Lou’s family and farm home in Lincoln, Nebraska where Lou attended college under the GI Bill and received his Bachelor of Science in Geology. They then returned to Brownsville, Texas for the early years of their marriage, and after a short period during which Lou was teaching college, they moved to West Texas and became part of the wild and adventurous early days of the Permian Basin oil boom. She was “a blooming rose in the desert sand.” During that time Betsy began working at the Midland Public Library in Midland, Texas, where she flourished with her growing family, her work, and her love of reading. As Lou’s employment took him countless places including Dallas, Texas (where Betsy attended Texas Women’s University from 1965 to 1966, studying library science), to California, to Colorado, and back to Texas, Betsy was able to land various positions in libraries, and continue her respect and love of books and reading.
Retiring in 1989, Betsy and Lou moved to Beaumont, Texas to be near their grandchildren, whom they adored.
In Beaumont they stayed. Lou, Sr. passed away on July 31, 2009. Thereafter, Betsy, afflicted by difficulties with her legs, enjoyed the close care of a group of gentle and compassionate women, referred to by Betsy as “her ladies.” These caregivers assisted her in every way, and because of them, Betsy was able to stay in her home, and continue her passion for reading until to the end of her life.
She was known by all who met her for her wit, warmth, brilliance, and empathy. She was one of those people who, wherever she was, brought light to the gathering.
She survived by her daughter, Dr. Virginia Lee Scofield of McAllen, Texas; son, Louis M. Scofield, Jr., an attorney from Beaumont; her grandchildren, Christopher Aiken Scofield, Nicholas Dickens Scofield, and Emma Colleen Scofield; and a number of other relatives and friends.
She was preceded in death by Lou, Sr., and by her beloved son, Dr. Stephen Bruce Scofield, her mother and father, and her two brothers, Bruce Aiken and David Aiken.
She will be missed.
A gathering of Mrs. Scofield’s family and friends will be from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m., Wednesday, October 30, 2013, at Broussard’s, 1605 North Major Drive, Beaumont. Her funeral service will be 11:00 a.m., Thursday, October 31, 2013, at Broussard’s, with interment to follow at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Beaumont.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Some Other Place, P.O. Box 843, Beaumont, Texas 77704.
