Anna Deane Scott

Anna Deane Scott was 84 when she peacefully passed away in Lynchburg, Virginia on Sunday, October 24, 2021.

She was born in the same city on February 17, 1937.  She spent her early youth on Holcomb Rock Road and loved to adventure in nature. Shortly after she arrived at a local boarding school, Saint Margaret’s; mother called to ask her how it was.  Anna replied, “I’m not lonely—I feel like I have 100 sisters.”

Anna attended Randolph-Macon Women’s College for two years and went on to receive an undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a master’s degree in education from the University of Virginia.  A professor there suggested she become a teacher.  She first taught at NOVA in Gainesville, Florida.

Anna wanted to be near her brother and his young family in Massachusetts. She applied to Boston University, was hired, and became a professor of occupational therapy for the remainder of her career.  She co-authored Occupational Therapy for Physical Dysfunction and specialized in brain rehabilitation. In 1986 she received the Metcalf Award for Excellence in Teaching from Boston University.  One of her students has succinctly described her achievement: “Unlike any other professor I have encountered at the three colleges where I have studied, Professor Scott has not merely challenged us to be good practitioners, she instilled in us confidence in our own ability to be pioneers and innovators, shaping the field and the students who will enter it into the future.” She was dearly loved by her students.  Many became lifelong friends.  A Boston Divinity School professor summed up Anna when he stated she had “largess of heart.”

She had a deep love for dogs. She had at least two long term friends by meeting their dog first, and then getting to know the lovely person associated with it.

She was predeceased by her father, Robert Clark Scott; her mother, Francis Deane Scott; and her brother, Robert Clark Scott Jr.

She leaves her nephew Robert Carter Scott and wife Kirsten Anna Spille-Scott of Wilton, NH and his children Shanti Anna Scott of Durham, NH; Caleb Brion Scott of Stonington, ME; Gabriel Matthew Scott of Wilton, NH and Amber Aurora Casavant of Fitzwilliam, NH and her mother Priscilla Grace Allen of Stonington, ME. She is also survived by her nephew, John Terrell Scott of Saint Johnsbury, VT and by her good friend, Aubrey Lande of Boulder, Colorado.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Saint Margaret’s of Tappahannock VA, P.O. Box 158 Tappahannock, VA 22560 or Boston University at Boston University Gift Processing c/o JPMorgan Chase & Co. P.O. Box 22605 New York, NY 10087-2605.

Tharp Funeral Home, Lynchburg is assisting the family.