Camille Elizabeth Scott

Our beloved wife, mother, sister, Grammy, Nai Nai, and friend, Camille Elizabeth Scott (née McCarthy), 74, passed away peacefully at home the evening of Thursday, February 26, surrounded by her family's love after a valiant two-year battle with pancreatic cancer.

She is lovingly remembered by her husband of 53 years, Jonathan; her children: Jeremy (Manjing), Zach (Nicky), Kelley (Jake); her grandchildren: Sophia, Wesley, Nathan, Beatrice, Hazel; her siblings: Patrick McCarthy (Cindy) Mary Evelyn Daniels (Russell), Tom McCarthy, Kenneth McCarthy, and Julia Guill (Roy), as well as numerous extended family and friends around the world.

Camille was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on October 21st, 1951, a daughter of Evelyn McCarthy and the late William McCarthy. The eldest of six, Camille spent her childhood and teenage years taking ballet classes, learning Spanish, starring in school plays, getting into good trouble, and helping raise her five rambunctious siblings (later, her children would refer to her large family as "The McCarthy Bunch"). She met her future husband, Jon, in 1971 while she attended the University of Cincinnati.

Born a natural creative, she received a bachelor of fine arts from Southern Methodist University in 1983. Over the course of her life, Camille expressed her love and friendship through handmade items, whether it was a hand-thrown piece of pottery, an afghan made on her 8-harness weaving loom, a quilt made of hundreds of pieces of scrap fabric, or even upcycling pre-loved items to modern heirlooms. Every piece was imbued with her fiery spirit and love. Creativity also extended to the kitchen where her baking skills, especially dessert items were legendary, providing joy and comfort to new neighbors, school teachers, the local VFW, friends, and of course her family. And last but not least, her interior decorating around every holiday, especially Christmas, brought warmth and joy to everyone who entered her home.

Crafts were not only a hobby, but a ministry as well. Between 2005-2020, she made over 2500 scarves and hat sets for those experiencing homelessness in Camden and Burlington county, working through Project Interaction at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Camden and St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Burlington City. Her work was profiled in The Philadelphia Inquirer in late 2016 under the title "A warm heart offers warm hands to the homeless."

Camille loved traveling out west, to Arizona, Colorado, and Utah, taking on grueling hikes and enjoying panoramic vistas with Jon by her side. She loved being surrounded by the technicolor sunsets in the desert mountains, and her majestic saguaros in Tucson, their go-to destination in February. She was also an avid reader, addicted to trashy romance novels at breakfast and lunch, but also an enthusiastic contributor to her neighborhood and sisters' book clubs. There was no greater joy for Camille than being a Grammy and Nai Nai to her five beautiful grandchildren. Whether baking cookies during her annual Christmas Cookiepalooza or a weekend sleepover in the "big city", she had a gift of turning ordinary moments into cherished memories.

As we mourn her loss, we celebrate the vivacious personality and selflessness that were the essence of Camille's being. Her fiery red hair earned her the nickname of "Red Hot" by a passerby in a grocery store parking lot. She proudly passed her red locks down to three of her grandchildren, which was quite a sight when they walked together for communion at church. She lit up any room she entered and was a stranger to no one, touching the lives of everyone who met her, whether striking up a conversation with someone in a checkout line or sitting with a fellow patient waiting for infusion at the Pearlman Center for Advanced Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

A memorial service and celebration of her life will be held on Saturday, April 18 at 11:00AM Church of the Redeemer, 230 Pennswood Rd, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010.

As a steadfast supporter of Jonathan's passion for education, mentorship, and enriching others, Camille has asked that, in lieu of flowers, you consider a memorial donation in her name to the Professor Jonathan A. Scott Scholarship Fund at Temple University: https://www.giving.temple.edu/s/705/giving/16/interior_1col.aspx?sid=705&gid=1&pgid=13956&sitebuilder=1&contentbuilder=1