Janet Sue (Polhamus) Scott, aka “the Hat Lady,” died of a 10 month battle with breast cancer on Monday, September 28, 2026, surrounded by her family.
Jan was born on November 11, 1945 in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. She was 80.
Growing up, she lived many places, including a Quonset hut, street car, and mud hut in Africa. The daughter of Roy and Hazel Polhamus, she had two older sisters: Daisy May (John Burnette) and Barbara Jo (Jim Choury), and two younger brothers: David Roy (Judy Gilliam) and Benjamin Lee “Jimmy” who drowned in the Green River. Jan lived in various places in the mountains of Colorado for 12 years. In 1958 the family moved to Manila, Utah, where Roy worked as a carpenter building the Flaming Gorge Dam, and Hazel taught school in Dutch John and Manila.
Jan graduated with a BA from LeTourneau College, and an MAT from Whitworth in Spokane. In November 1970 she entered the Peace Corps in Swaziland (eSwatini), southern Africa. Since she lived with a Swazi family for a while, the Mliphas, they named her Siphiwe “because God has given you to us.” The Peace Corps assigned her to New Haven Secondary School where she taught 8th, 9th and 10th grades for four years. Many of her grandchildren also called her Siphiwe.
Upon returning stateside, Jan worked as a security guard, carrying a .357 Magnum, then as an insulator’s helper building Texas Gulf Trona Mine and as the Director of the Right2Read Academy.
In 1979, Don Scott, whom she had met on construction, and Jan were married in Sheep Creek Canyon, south of Manila.
Jan’s mother, Hazel Polhamus, lived with them for 24 years. After their three children left home (Neil entered the army, Glenn and Hilea the Marines), Jan worked as a graveyard cook (“The Hat Lady”) at Penney’s Diner for seven years, retiring when Don was hit and killed by a car.
In 2016, Jan relocated to Colorado to care for two of her grandchildren. In total, they lived with her nine years.
Jan was preceded in death by her parents, Roy and Hazel Polhamus, brother Jimmy, sister and brother-in-law Daisy and John Burrnette, and sister-in-law Judy Polhamus. She is survived by her sister Barb and husband Jim Choury; brother Dave Polhamus; son Neil Scott and his children Rai and Lisa Scott, Mars Segesto, & Ella Scott; son Daniel Glenn Scott, wife Julie, and daughter Grace; daughter Hazel Elizabeth Hilea Scott Zwirn and husband Will, children Devon, Matthew and Belle.
A funeral service to remember Jan will be held in Green River at The Hill Church on Friday October 9th at 10am.
