Obituary of Gretchen Scott

Gretchen Scott tribute After living life to the fullest with Parkinson's disease for the past 14 years, Gretchen Lee Ress Scott passed away after a hard-fought battle with breast cancer on July 4, 2014 in Boulder. Gretchen Scott was born April 13, 1946 in Columbus, Ohio, the daughter of George Leonard Ress and Martha Margaret Lake Ress. She attended Upper Arlington High School in Columbus and later earned a master's degree in fine arts from Ohio State University. She was a strong and independent young woman, showing her opposition to the Vietnam War by refusing to join her university's mandatory ROTC program. She stood her ground and graduated with her head held high. Gretchen was an extraordinary woman with an artistic bent and a sharp mind for business, getting her start as a buyer for The Union Department Store in Columbus. While on a business trip she met her future husband, David Wells Scott. It was love at first sight and they married in Columbus on Jan. 8, 1977. The couple lived in Boulder and owned Chivers Sports. Gretchen helped grow the business into a second store before she became the managing director for Nevica USA ski clothing. Later she managed the U.S. office of Signs and Design a worldwide sports apparel design company, working with such companies as Harley-Davidson, Spyder, Nils, Fila and K2. With her even, nurturing style, she was everyone's favorite boss until she retired two years ago. Gretchen was a wonderful stepmother to David's daughters, Christy and Amy, and treasured her friendships with people all over the world, especially her two best friends from college, Karen Coleman and Patricia Galliers. Gretchen and David discovered paradise in Port Grimaud a small town near St. Tropez, France and rented the same idyllic house every June for 20 years before buying a home of their own to enjoy with family and friends 12 years ago. It was Gretchen's utmost delight to keep the tradition alive and she was able to return one last time this past April. She is survived by her husband David of Boulder; daughter Amy Scott of Boulder, Christina Scott Hill and her husband Dr. David Hill of Wilmington, N.C.; brother Bill Ress of Upper Arlington, Ohio; sister Patricia Taylor of Granville, Ohio; and grandchildren Hailey, Hope and Hannah Kotsaftis of Boulder, Emily and Alex Eakins, and Abby, Sellers and Julian Hill, all of Wilmington, N.C. Gretchen was preceded in death by her parents.