May Tucker Scott

May Tucker Scott died peacefully on April 12, 2024, in Nashville, Tennessee. A longtime resident of Jackson, Tennessee, May was a beloved wife, mother, and grandmother, who cherished her family, her community, her many friends, and her strong Christian faith.

May was born in Memphis to Lawrence and Lucille Curry Tucker, and grew up alongside her younger sister, Dorothy Tucker Knight Cole. The family moved from Memphis to Humboldt, where at age 16 she was crowned the Hostess Princess of the Strawberry Festival. She graduated from Humboldt High School, following which she attended the University of Mississippi. In 1953 May married her high school sweetheart, Augustus Barnett Scott, the son of Ruth Barnett Scott and Daniel Joyner Scott of Humboldt. They lived in Memphis while he attended Memphis State University and the Medical College of the University of Tennessee in Memphis. During the years in which Dr. Scott served in the U.S. Navy as a surgeon, they traveled extensively and May oversaw the family’s numerous moves to naval bases in San Leandro, Calif., Honolulu, Hawaii, Key West, Fla., and Charleston, S.C. until they moved back home to West Tennessee, relocating permanently to Jackson with their three children, Sally Tucker Scott Wilburn, David Barnett Scott, and Carol Ruth Scott.

A passionate gardener, May completed her green-thumb education through the Madison County Master Gardeners program and was known for her love of long-stemmed hybrid tea roses. Her favorite was the quintessential American rose, Mister Lincoln. Later in life, May developed an impressive garden filled with daffodils and zinnias that she shared with her neighbors and friends. She always had fresh flowers in her home.

May was an avid reader and was also a skilled and enthusiastic bridge player, enjoying games at the Jackson Country Club and with close friends in several groups, and taught bridge in her later years. She and her husband loved to travel with close friends and saw much of the world, including international destinations such as Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Russia, Norway, London, Paris, Florence and others.

Many of the family’s most cherished memories are of family vacations during which May and Barnett gathered their children and grandchildren in a beach house on Isle of Palms or Hilton Head Island, S.C., where Barnett shared with his grandchildren his love of golf and May, her love of the beach. Affectionally called May May by her five grandchildren, she remained active her entire life, and credited her good health to her many walks and workouts at the Lyft.

Along with her husband, who served as chairman of the West Tennessee Healthcare Foundation, Barnett and May were regular attendees of the Foundation's annual gala.

May is predeceased by her parents, Lawrence and Lucille Tucker, her younger sister Dorothy Tucker Knight Cole, and her husband of 58 years, Dr. Augustus Barnett Scott.

She is survived by her children, Sally (David) Wilburn, David (Beth) Scott, and Carol Scott, as well as her grandchildren, Charles Alexander Wilburn, Clayton Scott (Elizabeth) Wilburn, Katherine Joyner (Jeremy) Wilburn LaSacco, Andrew Barnett Scott, and Karin Elizabeth Scott, and her great-granddaughter, Scarlett Joan LaSacco.

A graveside service will be held at Ridgecrest Cemetery in Jackson at 10 a.m. on Friday, April 19, and visitation will follow at First United Methodist Church, 200 S. Church St., Jackson, at 11 a.m. with the service at 1 p.m. A celebration of her life will be held after the service, at the Jackson Country Club, until 5 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Community Foundation of West Tennessee with designations to the Barnett Scott Endowment, or The Kirkland Cancer Center or Aspell Recovery Center. Online donations at www.cfwtn.org or mailing address is 74 Directors Row, Jackson, TN 38305. Donations can also be made to the First United Methodist Church, 200 Church St, Jackson, TN 38301. Online at www.jacksonfumc.org.