Miriam Louise Van Scott

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Miriam Louise Van Scott, 61, of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina passed away from pancreatic cancer on Thursday, April 2, 2026. She passed peacefully in her home surrounded by loved ones.

She was born on June 10, 1964, in Washington, DC and raised in Northern Virginia by her parents, Cornelius Van Scott and (the late) Dolores Rose Van Scott (formerly Werner). Miriam was their second child and is survived by her older sister, Mary Van Scott, and her younger brother, Paul Van Scott.

Miriam attended All Saints Catholic School as a student. She then attended Seton School where she and her sister graduated in 1981 alongside her lifelong best friend Tara Price (formerly Swank). She attended George Washington University and George Mason, earning a B.A. in Journalism. She started her career working in Public Relations for private corporations and government agencies before becoming a photojournalist for the Fairfax Journal and the Manassas Journal Messenger. Her first national byline was a feature on the working homeless published in Good Housekeeping magazine. Some of her favorite early jobs included running site PR for the first Lollapalooza Tour in 1991, and interviewing Watergate mastermind G. Gordon Liddy.

After the publication of her first books, Encyclopedia of Hell and Encyclopedia of Heaven in 1998, she became a full-time freelance writer. Her articles and photos have appeared in over 50 publications ranging from the Gannett News Syndicate to the Chicken Soup for the Soul book franchise. She also worked on media projects for The History Channel, Sy-Fy, The Learning Channel, ABC News, Paramount Entertainment Group, Media General and many others. Her debut novel Bandun Gate is a gripping, grounded horror story about murder, hauntings, and paranormal battles along Charleston’s supposedly cursed shores, with inspiration from real life events. Bandun Gate has gone on to be an Amazon Bestseller, a Reader’s Favorite, and won multiple awards including PenCraft Books’s Top Prize in Horror Fiction.

Miriam’s proudest achievement was her flourishing and thriving personal life and family. She married Daniel Timothy Corcoran Jr., the love of her life, on February 10, 1990 and welcomed three children: Daniel Timothy Corcoran III, Abigail Rose Corcoran, and Charles Oscar Corcoran. All three of her children attended All Saints Catholic School in Manassas as she had, where she befriended many wonderful teachers such as Mary Charbonneau.

Throughout her life, she exemplified the Catholic attributes of faith, love, and charity. She was an exemplary mother to her own three children and to anyone who benefited from a mothering presence in their life. Even as her children became adults she was affectionately referred to as “Mama Corcoran,” by many of their friends. She is survived by what she called her, “bonus children” Alexander Juncosa, Daniel Deitch, Lilly Harrill, and Sarah Seime. She was also blessed to see Abigail marry Richard George Rebbert in the fall of 2019 and Daniel marry Daniela Jordan Sinner in the fall of 2021. In 2024 she was delighted to see Charles meet Christian Salazar and continued to enjoy seeing their partnership grow and develop.

Miriam spent her time enjoying the beautiful scenery South Carolina embodies while continuing her hobby as a photographer. She enjoyed going to yard sales, the movies, the Charleston Fun Park, reenacting scenes from Miami Vice on her boat, 80s music, a specific mix of fountain Coke/Diet Coke, and walking Stribling Apple Orchard on return trips to Northern Virginia. In her final years, Miriam traveled to many places including Key West where she went skydiving, The Cliffs of Moher in Ireland, the Blu Gorilla Tattoo Shop in Charleston, several concerts, and all her favorite spots throughout the Lowcountry.

As much as she enjoyed the above, it was obvious her favorite thing was being Oma (German for “Grandma”) to Richard Daniel Rebbert and Amaya Jordan Corcoran. She filled her home with toys, books, music, activities, and unconditional love for both of her grandchildren. Even in her final months she arranged time-delayed gifts for them to last after she was gone, including for her unborn granddaughter, Lydia Rose Corcoran.

She is preceded in death by her mother, Dolores Rose Van Scott. Miriam is survived by her father, husband, siblings, sister-in-law Sharon Van Scott, children, and grandchildren. She will be deeply missed.

Please continue to pray for Miriam and the family.

In her own words…

Don’t feel sorry for me because I “was taken too soon.” Yeah, dying at sixty-(whatever) seems relatively young by today’s standards in a world where people routinely live into their eighties, nineties or even hundreds. But trust me, I’ve had CENTURIES worth of blessings packed into these six decades. I won the parent lottery with a wonderful Mom and Dad, who gave me two wonderful siblings who I’ve always treasured. My friends have always been amazing, starting with a girl I met half a century ago who has been a sister to me through the past fifty years (looking in your direction Tara.) And God really had my back when he sent me Dan – he’s the kind of spouse EVERYONE wants; someone who makes you laugh, holds your hand when you cry, and creates so much joy you forget there is anything else in life other than happiness. With him as dad, it’s no wonder my kids turned out more amazing than I could ever have imagined. And the grandchildren! Words cannot possibly convey the love and delight they’ve brought to my life, and how proud I am of the fantastic job their parents are doing. The young ones gave me a glimpse of the future, and it is beautiful!

Two services will be held. One in Mount Pleasant, SC and the other in Manassas, VA.

The Mount Pleasant, SC service will be held on Monday, April 27 at 11 AM at St. Benedict Catholic Church, 950 Darrell Creek Trail, Mt Pleasant, SC 29466 on Monday, April 27 at 11 AM. A reception will be held after the Mass at the church.

The Manassas, VA service will be held on Wednesday, May 6th, 10 AM at All Saints Catholic Church, 9300 Stonewall Rd., Manassas, VA 20110. A reception will be held afterwards. Reception details will be provided at the service. 

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network at https://pancan.org

Expressions of sympathy may be viewed or submitted online at mcalister-smith.com.

Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to McAlister-Smith Funeral and Cremation ~ Mt. Pleasant, 1520 Rifle Range Rd, Mount Pleasant, SC 29464, (843) 884-3833.