Edith Marie (Foster) Scholey, daughter of Agnes Winterholer and Arthur A. Foster, was born on August 23, 1908, in Jerome, Yavapai County, Arizona Territory. She graduated from Prescott High School in 1926 and attended the University of Arizona. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in 1930 with a major in mathematics and a minor in geology, specializing in the geology of northern Arizona. A petite woman, Edith was the first woman to be on the university rifle team.

After graduating from college, Edith traveled to Victoria, Hong Kong, to meet her fiancé, mining engineer George T. Scholey, who was working in the Philippine Islands at a mine called Balatok. The couple married in Victoria on May 14, 1931, and lived at the mine for seven years.

Edith and George had three sons: George Arthur, born June 1, 1931; Frank Dennis, born April 10, 1935; and Guy Erik, born November 10, 1937. The family moved to Manila in 1937 where George went into business for himself. He had to travel to various locations, but when war began to loom, Edith and the children returned to the safety of Seattle, where some of Edith’s family was living.

George was commissioned by the Army to be in the forces in Luzon and was captured by the Japanese and held as a prisoner of war for three years. During that time, Edith did not know if he was alive or dead. When he was finally reunited with his family in Seattle, George was very ill with malaria and scurvy.

The family moved to Prescott where George recuperated. He eventually returned to the Philippines to reopen his mines, but Edith remained in Prescott so that her sons would receive a good education. All three became mining engineers.

In addition to being a wife and mother, Edith became a published writer in several magazines. One such article published in Sunset Magazine introduced her friend George Phippen as an artist to the public outside of Prescott.

Edith was a chairman and founder of Prescott Republican Women, a member and worthy matron of the Eastern Star, a noble grand of the Rebecca Auxiliary, state president of the American Association of University Women, and an avid stamp collector. She also helped plan field trips for college geology classes in northern Arizona. As a creative cook, she won many prizes for her original recipes.

Edith's husband died in 1981, and Edith died on January 12, 2000. The couple is buried in a family plot at the Prescott Odd Fellows Cemetery.

Donors: Tom and Becky Geiler, May 2001
Photo Located: Yavapai County People & Family Collection – Scholey Family Folder
Updated: 09/04/2015, N. Freer