From a ’secret romance’ at the YMCA to a full family life
By Kimberly Burk,
for Edmond Life and Leisure
It’s not exactly true that office romances can’t be kept a secret.
Most of their co-workers at the Edmond YMCA were shocked when in 2007, Scott and Tara Mitchell announced their engagement. And they had been dating since 2004.
"While we were dating and working together, we just kept it low-key and professional,” Scott said. Some of their good friends at work "kind of knew,” he said.
Tara said they "got caught” a few times, such as when a pair of sisters whose kids were on their swim team ran into them at the grocery store and asked why they were together.
Both were students at the University of Central Oklahoma who had "hung out in a group setting a few times,”
Tara said. Then he invited her to take in a movie. "Spiderman.”
"I was not into action movies,” Tara said.
But she decided in advance that if she enjoyed the movie, that might be a good omen. And she did.
"So we went on other dates,” Tara said. "We were glad that Tobey Maguire was a good Spider- Man.”
So it wasn’t love at first sight, but it was close.
"I knew I wanted to marry Scott six months in, but we were in school,” said Tara, who earned a nursing degree.
"My parents wanted to make sure I could focus on school.”
"Pretty soon after we started dating, I said yeah she’s the one,” Scott said.
So they were married in 2008, a traditional wedding at First United Methodist Church in Edmond, which they still attend. Five years later they started their family.
Fisher, 10, is a fifth grader at Will Rogers Elementary who plays basketball, baseball and flag football.
Effie, 12, is in 6th grade at Central and plays softball and volleyball.
The family roots for Oklahoma State University sports teams, and they love the outdoors, often visiting Oklahoma lakes.
"They are great road trip kids,” Tara said. "They love the beach and are up for anywhere we go.”
But mostly, they hang out with their extended families. His parents live in Edmond and hers in Paoli, and their siblings are in such towns as Jones, Guthrie and Moore.
Tara worked 14 years in pediatric oncology. "It was one of the most rewarding things I have ever done,” she said.
Tara said her mother told that when she about 5 years old, she watched a few St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital commercials and told her mom she wanted to grow up and take care of sick children.
The work was not easy, Tara said, "but God puts you in places you can handle.”
A few years into his job at the YMCA, Scott said he "really started enjoying the physical and mechanical side of managing the buildings.”
So he earned the necessary degrees and work experience and now is vice president for properties and facility management for 15 YMCA buildings in central Oklahoma.
Tara now works for OU Health from home, doing provider documentation, which allows her to spend more time with the children and attend their sporting events.
There was a time when Scott and Tara’s Valentine’s date was steak at one of the nicer restaurants. These days it’s a bit more expensive.
"For the last few years the kids have wanted to go too,” Scott said with a laugh. "So it’s a family dinner night.”
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History Museum exhibits honors heritage of Edmond Fire Dept.
The Edmond History Museum presents the exhibit Edmond Fire Dept: From Volunteers to Chiefs, on display until May 16, 2026.
The exhibit celebrates over a century of bravery and innovation, honoring the men and women who continue to answer the call, no matter the hour, to protect Edmond.
The fire department’s history mirrors Edmond’s growth from a railroad town to the rapid expansion of the city today. The City of Edmond’s Fire Department humbly began as a volunteer brigade in 1903, passing buckets to each other and traveling by horse and buggy. Today, Edmond has six modern, full-service fire departments dedicated to protecting the lives and property of the citizens of Edmond.
The exhibit features photos, artifacts, and Edmond’s first horseless firetruck from 1929! Fire safety videos
and a children’s interactive play station are also part of the exhibit.
Exhibit Highlights include:
• The 20-ft fire pole from 1930
• Uniforms spanning from the 1940s to today
• 1929 Seagraves Pumper engine, Edmond’s first
horseless firetruck
• Equipment used by the Edmond Fire Department dating back to the early 1900s
Exhibit created by exhibit coordinator, Michael Cavazos, with support from past and present firefighters from the Edmond Fire Department, previous employees, and the Oklahoma State Firefighters Museum.
Museum Information:
Edmond History Museum is open 10:00-5:00 Monday – Friday and 1-4:00 Saturday. Please visit the museum website at www.EdmondHistory.org or by calling the museum at 405-340-0078. Admission is free.
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Focus on Education 2026
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