By Liz Madison and Michelle Grant, Vitals contributors  

Colette Scott was buried in her hospital volunteer uniform. The 96-year-old entered the afterlife this past February adorned in a lanyard studded with pins and fastened with badges — a symbol of volunteer service like no other.

For nearly 50 years, Colette Scott quietly wove herself into the fabric of hospital volunteerism. Her journey began at Condell Hospital in Libertyville, Ill., after her three children started school. Upon moving to California, she volunteered at Peninsula Hospital in Burlingame around 1970 (now Sutter’s Mills-Peninsula Medical Center). She and her husband, Richard, began volunteering at Sutter’s Memorial Medical Center in Modesto in 1981 after they relocated to the area.

Daughter Lynn Markwell said her mother’s goal was a simple one: to help people. “She loved that she was connecting with each person,” she recalls. “She felt needed, and that was her purpose.”

At Peninsula Hospital, Scott was a “runner” who darted through the labyrinth of hospital corridors with deliveries, including lab samples. At Sutter’s Memorial Medical Center, she amassed more than 2,000 volunteer hours, mostly in the intensive care unit, until 2009. Yet her greatest impact went beyond the tasks she performed.

Colette and Richard Scott

A personal tragedy in 1997 deeply shaped Scott’s volunteerism – and life. Her husband suffered complications after surgery and spent nearly a month in the ICU before passing away. He died shortly after their 50th wedding anniversary.

Devastated, Scott channeled her grief into something transformative. She asked to work in the ICU, stocking shelves and, more importantly, supporting spouses of critically ill patients. “She’d sit with them and just listen,” Markwell says. “She told them she’d been in their position, and they’d open up. Both would end up in tears and hugging.” Her presence soothed families and care team members alike.

Scott also found healing through the friendships she built while volunteering. These women became her anchors, helping her through the loss of her husband and ushering her into a new phase of life. “She loved Memorial,” Markwell shares. “She loved the work, and she loved the friends she made.”

Markwell further reflected, “Volunteering kept her engaged with the world—active, current and connected. It gave her purpose. She retired at 90 to focus on her health, but she never really stopped giving.”

Colette Scott received a certificate honoring her dedication to volunteer service at Sutter’s Memorial Medical Center.

“Volunteers like Colette are the soul of our hospital. She gave so much of herself to others, always offering a warm smile and a helping hand,” said Shelly Baker, volunteers manager at  Sutter’s Memorial Medical Center. “Her kindness and dedication touched so many lives, and we’re beyond grateful for everything she did.”

Perhaps it isn’t a surprise that volunteering was in Scott’s bloodline. Her mother was a pioneering advocate for women in 1930s Chicago, modeling resilience that Scott carried forward. This legacy didn’t end with her either: her children and grandchildren embraced volunteerism, too. Granddaughter Michelle Grant took the healthcare connection one step further. A candy striper in high school, Grant eventually launched a career in healthcare communications at Sutter. “I believe it’s in our DNA,” said Markwell.

“Stories like Colette’s are inspiring to everyone. They show the human spirit’s powerful presence. They remind us that the smallest gestures can bring someone joy or peace,” said Baker. “Our hospital volunteers are generous people who give comfort and show kindness to our patients and their families, as well as our care teams.”