Florida L. Scott

78, of Indianapolis, passed away at home on January 16, 2023. Rida was born January 1, 1945 in Lumberton North Carolina to the late Frank S. and Virginia G. Love. She was a 1963 graduate of Grainger High School in Kinston North Carolina. She attended Queens College in Charlotte and earned her MA from Indiana University. She was a founding partner of the technical writing firm Avalon Group before retiring.

Rida grew up in North Carolina and Florida, and was happiest around water. Her family owned a cottage on Holden Beach on the Carolina shore. When business took the family to Florida, she lived on a lake in Avon Park. Rida loved to swim, fish, water ski, and play among the sand dunes. She hunted seashells, and was expert at finding sharks' teeth. She learned fishing from her father and brother Steve, and she enjoyed it all her life. She was skilled at untangling fishing line, which cost her casting time, but she never seemed to mind. She loved watching waves, hunting seashells, feeding birds, and walking on the beach. Inveterately curious, she was also a voracious reader.

Rida had two children, Brenton and Kevin, with her first husband. She worked part time when they were young, living in Charlottesville VA and Chicago before moving to Bloomington in 1977. When Kevin developed an allergy to wheat, Rida researched and tested recipes that he could eat, publishing them in a cookbook. She was an instinctive and fearless home cook. Rida worked for the Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis at IU, starting as a key punch operator. She managed computing for the Workshop, directed by Dr. Elinor Ostrom, later the first female Nobel Laureate in Economics. It was there she met her husband, Eric.

That work experience reinforced Rida's beliefs in the value of collegial relationships, that women could effectively manage household and career. When family led her to move to Indianapolis in 1980, she worked at IUPUI Computing Services at the managerial level. While employed, she was helping raise her two boys and attending graduate school. She earned her Masters degree in Instructional Systems Design. Realizing that she earned less than her male counterparts while doing equal work, she decided to form her own business. She teamed with Lisa Condit to form Avalon Group, specializing in technical writing, working with large corporations. For example, she helped write instructional manuals for Roche home diabetes test kits.

Rida was a warm, gentle, spiritual soul with a disarming sense of humor, her life filled with acts of kindness to others. She loved all wildlife, notably cats, even befriending tiny jumping spiders who entertained her while she read on the porch.

Rida is survived by her husband of 40 years, Eric Scott; sons Brenton (Vanne) Young and Kevin (Elizabeth) Young; grandchildren Josh and Reid (Bay) Young; Grace, Paul (Tristan), and Adam Young; brother Frank Steven Love Jr, and niece Rasa Love.

The family will hold a private celebration of life on the North Carolina shore at a future date.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be directed to a charity of the donor's choice that represents Rida's spirit and beliefs. Friends are invited to leave online condolences for the family at www.leppertmortuary.com.