Wednesday mornings are usually a vibrant and joyful time at Delta Missions.
This week, the mood was somber and subdued, as members of the Delta Missions Senior Citizens group continue to mourn the loss of one of their most outgoing members, Sarah Scott.
Sarah was one of three victims who died last Saturday during a triple homicide shooting in Indianola. Her husband, Steve Scott, and their friend, Vanessa Cassandra Hollins, were also shot and killed that day.
“She was just the sweetest person,” Delta Missions founder and Pastor Herron Wilson said. “She had a warm smile and was always helpful… It was a tough day today at Delta Missions, because we’re so used to seeing her. We draped her seat with a yellow bow and spent time praying for the family.”
Wilson said the senior citizens usually play bingo on Wednesday mornings, and when bingo cards started to get worn out, Sarah would take the initiative to order new ones. If she thought the group would benefit from something, Wilson said she would often go to the store and buy it and donate it to Delta Missions.
“She was very quiet in nature, but she was so friendly and warm and so easy to get along with,” Wilson said.
Annie Butcher said she shared a table with Sarah during those Wednesday morning sessions.
“We sat next to each other,” Butcher said. “Our hearts are saddened, because we lost our member.”
Lillie Barner is another one of the Delta Missions faithful who had known Sarah for over 50 years.
In fact, the retired educator had taught Sarah when she was at Gentry High School in the late 1960s.
Sarah was from Inverness, Barner said, and she ended up meeting her husband, who was from Sunflower.
It just so happened that Barner and Steve Scott went to the same church in Sunflower, Baptist Grove Missionary Baptist Church.
“She started coming to church,” Barner said. “She joined my church.”
The two went from being teacher and student to close friends.
“We would call each other, six days a week, at 8:10 a.m.,” Barner said.
On church day, they would call each other at 7 a.m. to make sure the other was getting ready.
“We talked every day,” Barner said.
Steve Scott spent years working for the City of Indianola, in the public works department.
Robin Rosenthal, who oversees Keep Indianola Beautiful, said Steve was one of the first people she met when she first moved to Indianola.
“He used to give me these big bear hugs,” Rosenthal said. “No matter where I’d see him, I’d always get a big bear hug from Steve. I thought the world of him.”
Rosenthal said that she and Steve worked hand-in-hand on the beautification of the city. “He was a hard worker, and he was friends with everybody,” she said. “He had a great work ethic. It broke my heart.”
Vanessa Cassandra Hollins was known to many of her friends and family simply as “Sand.”
She was a member of Bell Grove Missionary Baptist Church in Indianola.
“She was an outstanding young lady, a faithful member of the church, and she’s going to be missed dearly,” said Bell Grove Pastor Melvin Matthews.
Matthews said that he returned to Indianola in 2009 after being away for many years, and “Sand” was one of the people he was able to reconnect with when he came back to Bell Grove. He said that to his knowledge, she was a lifelong member of the church.
“The church is hurting,” he said. “It’s a hurting situation to lose Sand, and we extend our sympathies to the family. She is going to be missed at what we call ‘The Grove.’”
Matthews said that Hollins had a quiet nature about her, but she was not afraid to speak her mind if someone asked her to.
“She was just a member who attended faithfully and gave faithfully,” Matthews said. “She was quiet, and she spoke what was on her heart and mind to you. If you wanted to know exactly what she was thinking, she would be glad to tell you, but it was always with love, especially to me and my wife.”
The obituaries for Sarah Scott, Steve Scott and Vanessa Cassandra Hollins appear on Page 3.
