//cdn.lifestorynet.com/obituaries/01a/128962/128962-00.jpg

Life Story / Obituary


Print

Jean Skipski, 92 of Elmwood Twp, Traverse City, died, Sunday, October 6, 2019.

Wit, warmth, smarts, and sass. Jean was all of this and so much more. She was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and lifelong friend. Jean lived a long, healthy life and bravely fought cancer for the last six months with strength and determination, never letting a little thing like cancer stop her from living her life the way she always had. Jean passed away peacefully in her home of 70 years surrounded by her family.

Jean was born in her family farmhouse in Almira township on July 2, 1927. She was the baby of Lloyd and Athalinda (Fewins) Bates and was the youngest by six years, with six older brothers and one sister.

She began her education in a one-room schoolhouse in Almira Township and later graduated from Honor High school. After high school, Jean worked for Michigan Bell as a telephone operator and later, a supervisor. She then worked for the Traverse City school system where she retired from after many years.

One evening, Jean went on a blind date with Joseph Stanley Skipski. They married on September 20, 1947, and spent 54 beautiful years together before Joe passed away in 2001. Jean was involved in several activities, including cub scouts, PTA, 4-H, and was a Sunday school teacher at West Bay Covenant Church, where she also attended. Jean also lovingly took care of several foster babies over the years. She belonged to a special group of ladies from the area as the Cherry Bend Extension Group, went to birthday club luncheons, and never turned down a card game with her dear friends.

Her children include Gloria (Phil) Sachtleben, Marilyn (Ed) Tonak, Richard Skipski, and her beloved Gary that she is now in heaven with. Jean was fiercely dedicated to her children and likewise to her grandchildren Jennifer (Mike), Scott (Ashley), Kevin (Tina), and Karen (Chris); great-grandchildren Finn, Mackenzie, Connor, Zoey, and Xandar; and great-great-grandson Levi.

Also preceding her in death were her siblings Fred (Winnie), Doug (Luella), Gerald (Iva), Richard (Thelma), Murray, James (Ruth), and Harriet (Walt).

The family would like to thank Munson Hospice for the exceptional care that they provided to Jean over the last six months. In appreciation, the family asks that a memorial be made in her honor to Munson Hospice or West Bay Covenant Church.

A visitation will be held on Friday, October 11, from 5 pm-8 pm at West Bay Covenant Church and a memorial service will be on Saturday, October 12, at 11 am with a visitation beginning one hour prior, also at West Bay Covenant Church. Please visit www.lifestorytc.com to share your thoughts and more.

Jean’s last words of wisdom that she wanted to share with everyone was, “If by chance you wish to remember me, do it with a kind deed or word to someone who needs it.”