Hallee Vivers

Hallee Vivers, 81 of Paola crossed over on Sunday September 4, 2016 at Miami County Medical Center. Hallee was born in Coffeyville, KS on Jan. 3, 1935. She was the youngest of eight children born to James Arthur Scott and Laura Bell Harrison Scott. It"s always difficult to describe anyone with words and she is definitely difficult to put on paper. But here are some words that would describe her the best; funny, ornery, compassionate, giving, thoughtful, artistic, musical, talented, creative, tough talker with a soft heart, private, nosey, eccentric, worried about everyone, and real character. She loved her husband and children and even though she may not have gotten to do all the things she wanted to, she loved her life. She always had aspirations to become a lawyer but taking care of her family took precedence. Music was always important to her. She began playing piano as a young girl, playing by ear and she was accomplished enough that she was highly sought after as teen and young adult to play for numerous churches for their services and weddings. She played French horn in her high school band and played bugle in the high school drum and bugle corps that went to many competitions. She loved her privacy and she always said she hated people and things. But she did love to know what was going on the neighborhood and she was always checking on people. She would be there if someone needed her and no one ever left her house without something, whether it might be food or a plant or some little trinket. She was an excellent cook, her turkey at Thanksgiving was legendary, and was especially fond of baking. Everyone who ever ate her cinnamon rolls wanted the recipe and she would never give it out. She was a huge political junkie and an avid Democrat. One of her great passions was to be in the yard and work in the garden. She was very concerned about the environment and what was happening to our air, water, and land. She made sure to raise plants and flowers for the bees and butterflies and was so thrilled to have her yard become a Certified Wildlife Habitat. She never went through the official Master Gardner program but she"d been a master of the garden her whole life. She could tell what any plant was, always kept the bird feeders full, and made sure the fish in her pond were spoiled. She was very artistic and creative. She made pots, crocheted and knitted, wove baskets, and sewed, but her passion was painting, watercolor was her favorite medium. For several years running, she was very proud to be accepted into the Lawrence Indian Arts Show, one of the largest shows of American Indian art in the Midwest and in 1992 earned an Honorable Mention award. That year she also sold all of her paintings that were entered. She was also very proud of her Cherokee heritage. She was a registered tribal member. Both of her parents were of Cherokee decent. She never aged. She was so funny and particular about her appearance. She never left the house without "putting on her face". She never looked her age and took great pleasure in shocking people, repeatedly when they found out what her age really was. Numerous people would tell her she looked like Meryl Streep and while she joked about it and laughed it off, secretly it made her feel good. She had a great sense of humor and loved to laugh. She always had a smile on her face and was ready with a joke or some remark to make you laugh. She will be greatly missed by her friends and family and especially her BFF Arleta who she was friends with for close to 40 years. They concocted many schemes throughout the years and gave each other the best (and worst) gifts for the most ridiculous reasons. They talked daily and we all know Arleta will miss that. She also loved her frequent lunch dates with D. Brown and Patti Armstrong. They made a point to get together on a regular basis and she always looked forward to it. Surviving members of her family are sons Kevin (Pam) Vivers of Raytown, MO, Brett (Robin) Vivers of Overland Park, KS; daughter Vanessa Knowles of the home; four grandchildren, Erica (Paul) Derr, Paola, KS, Andrea Vivers, Grandview, MO, Melissa (Gregor) Vivers, Shawnee, KS, Julie Knowles of the home; four great grandchildren, Brayden, Reid, Liam Derr, Paola, KS, Scarlett Stewart, Shawnee, KS; brother James Vance Scott, Coffeyville, KS; sister Patricia Sikes, Wichita, KS; sister-in-law Margie Scott and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents James and Laura Scott; her brothers Vernon Scott, Glenn Scott, Melvin Scott, Clyde Scott; a sister Minnie Scott; her husband Bill Vivers and her dog Larry. A celebration of her life will be held on Saturday September 17, at 1 pm, at Penwell-Gabel Funeral Home, 305 N. Pearl St. Paola, KS. Everyone is invited to a reception following the service at the Paola Senior Center at 121 W. Wea St. Paola. Another celebration will be held in Coffeyville, KS at a later date. The family asks that you make memorials to any of your favorite charities, especially if it is one that is in the Kansas City area, some of Hallee"s favorites were: any Democrat of your choice, Running Strong for American Indian Youth, the H.O.P.E Scholarship, and Monarch Watch. To leave a special message for Hallee's family, please click the "Share Memories" tab above.