Carol Lou Scott

Carol Lou Scott, 86, of Waco, Texas, went to be with her Lord and Savior, December 27, 2025, in Waco. A Celebration of Life service will be held on January 17, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. at Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey Funeral Home in Waco with the Reverend Chris Wommack officiating. Carol will lie in state at Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey Funeral Home, Friday, January 16, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Carol was born December 9, 1939, in Kansas City, Missouri, to the late Charles Jesse and Thelma Fern Jenkins. She graduated from Farmington High School. She married her childhood friend and the love of her life, Richard E. Scott, in 1960. Shortly after their marriage, they moved to Waco to attend Baylor University, where they pioneered building the life, legacy, and community that would define the decades to come, through their determination and self-sacrifice. She graduated from Baylor University with a BSEd.

Carol was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She was deeply proud of her family and found her greatest joy in caring for those she loved, especially her family. Her home was always a place of welcome, warmth, and abundance where conversations were meaningful, laughter was frequent, and everyone felt known and valued.

She was a woman of strong faith and actively involved in church throughout her lifetime as a member of Highland Baptist Church, and later a Deaconess at First Baptist Church of Waco. Carol loved hymns, worship, and watching faith take root in the generations that followed her. Her love for Jesus shaped the way she lived—open-handed, generous, joyful, steadfast, and grounded in hope.

Carol worked outside the home at both Hillcrest Hospital and the Waco Bone and Joint Clinic, where her diligence, kindness, and professionalism were well known. She modeled a tenacious work ethic to her children and grandchildren. She also took great pride in her husband’s 42-year career at Hillcrest and the legacy their family shares there.

She enjoyed Baylor athletics, her grandchildren's sporting and music events, music, playing the piano and organ, and time spent with friends and family. Whether gathered around a table, cheering from the stands, or simply sharing everyday moments, Carol had a gift for making people feel at home. She will be missed for her smile, her candid and playful sense of humor, and never-old witty sayings and quips.

Carol was preceded in death by her parents, Charles Jesse and Thelma Fern Jenkins, and by her beloved husband, Richard E. Scott, who passed away in 2012; and many aunts, uncles, and cousins.

She is survived by her two children, daughter Suzanne Abbe and husband, Rick, of Waco; and son, Dr. Richard E. Scott, Jr. and wife, Sarah, of Waco; her seven grandchildren, Heather McCall and husband, Andrew, Haylee Beard and husband Jordan, Hannah Ashley and husband Richard, Hunter Abbe and wife Shelby, Warner Scott, Ethan Scott and wife Ashlee, and Julia Scott; and twelve great-grandchildren, all of whom were the pride and joy of her life. She loved being a grandmother and great-grandmother or G-Mom as they called her.

Honorary Pallbearers will be Warner Scott, Hunter Abbe, Ethan Scott, Andrew McCall, Jordan Beard, and Richard Ashley.

Carol will be remembered for her unwavering faith, her deep love for family, her joyful spirit, and the legacy of grace she leaves behind.

The family would like to extend their sincere gratitude to the current staff of The Blake at Waco - Memory Care Unit for their compassionate care and kindness.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Richard & Carol Scott Critical Care Fund at Baylor Scott & White Hillcrest, Attention: Foundation, 100 Hillcrest Medical Boulevard, Waco, Texas, 76712; and Mission Waco, 1315 N. 15th Street, Waco, Texas, 76707 or on the website www.missionwaco.org.

The family invites you to leave a message or memory online at our "Memorial Guestbook" at www.WHBfamily.com.