KATY MAGAZINE NEWS
May 31, 2019
By Natalie Cook Clark
Katy mourns the loss of its oldest resident. Redell Patterson Scott, known to most as "Mama Redell" passed away this week at the age of 109. Her viewing and service will be held Saturday, June 1 at Community Fellowship Church.
Photo courtesy Katy Magazine
A Centenarian Who Witnessed History from Katy
Redell Patterson Scott passed away this Wednesday, May 22 at 109 years old. She lived a life of love and faith. And most of all, she was surrounded by her family whom she loved.
Mama Redell lived through the Great Depression, both world wars, and the civil rights movement. She witnessed these historical events from Katy, where she lived since 1919.
"Mama Redell" in her Words
Redell Patterson was born on March 27, 1910 in Pattison, Texas. As a young girl, she loved riding around Katy in a horse and buggy, long before cars entered the unpaved streets.
Katy Magazine had the honor to speak with her back in 2015 as she celebrated her 105th birthday. She remembered Katy as a town that was much smaller, and the roads were very different from the freeways of today. “It wasn’t like this,” she recalled in the interview, pointing to the paved streets. “It was muddy.”
Raised on a Farm
Scott was the only child of Lee Brandy Burg and Estella Sullivan. She was raised on a farm where the family grew vegetables and peanuts. While Scott spoke of rationing food and gasoline during the Great Depression, she did remember the family’s farming business kept them afloat.
Love and Growing a Family
At 16 years old, Scott married her first husband, Henry Patterson, who worked for the M-K-T Railroad. Together, they had nine children, though two died as infants. After her first husband passed away, she married Tillman Scott, whom she met at a church event. They raised their combined families together and were married just shy of 50 years.
A Katy Housekeeper for 50 years
For five decades, Scott worked as a housekeeper in Katy to help provide for her children. In spite of their large family, Johnson said her parents never accepted any welfare assistance. Her mother was determined to give her children the best.
Fighting for School Integration
During the 2015 Katy Magazine interview, one of Scott's daughter recalled how her mother fought for her and her siblings to continue their secondary education in Katy. At that time, African American students from Katy were bussed to Cypress Fairbanks. Eventually Scott's children were allowed to attend the Katy schools.
Her Legacy
Not only did the centenarian have grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She even had great-great-great-grandchildren. But for Scott, having a big family simply meant having more opportunities to love. That's the legacy she wanted to leave behind.
Her advice to the next generation was to do the right thing and to never forget to love others. “I loved my children,” Scott said. “I’m sure they all know I love them by the way I treat them and what I do for them. Love each other.”
Service Information
Services are this Saturday, June 1 at Community Fellowship Church (24102 Kingsland Blvd.) at 11:00 am. The viewing precedes the services, at 10:00 am.