Eli Skinner

Eli Jack Skinner, age 88, of Yankton, South Dakota, died Wednesday, November 30, 2022, at Angelhaus Assisted Living in Yankton.

His funeral was held at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, December 3, at the Wintz & Ray Funeral Home in Yankton, South Dakota. Burial will be at Rose Mound Cemetery in Republic County, Kansas, at a later date. The family received friends one hour prior to the memorial service on Saturday at the funeral home. Jack said attendees were welcome to dress casually or in their favorite Nebraska Cornhuskers or Yankton Bucks attire. In lieu of flowers, the family asked that donations be made to the Heartland Humane Society.

Eli Jack Skinner was born November 16, 1934, in Superior, Nebraska, to Eli J. and Gertrude (Shuck) Skinner. He grew up in Ruskin, Nebraska, where he graduated from high school in 1952. He then attended Milford Trade School graduating with a degree in body and fender repair and started work for a dealership in Red Cloud, Nebraska.  He married Sandra Gunn on September 3, 1955, in Hardy. After their marriage, Jack worked at dealerships in Scottsbluff and Columbus, Nebraska and Holyoke, Colorado, before returning to Columbus where he started his long career as a plant operator in hydroelectric power plants. He worked for Loup River Public Power in Columbus.  He then worked at Glen Canyon Dam at the Grand Canyon near Page, Arizona, before working 30 years at Gavins Point Dam in Yankton. He retired in 1997. They then lived in Gold Canyon, Arizona, and Superior, Nebraska, before returning to Yankton.

Jack was an active member of the First United Methodist Church in Yankton. He was a happy, helpful man who loved his family. He was always involved with his children's activities, whether it was the swim team, baseball, or Girl Scouts.  He enjoyed baseball and was active as a coach and umpire for many years. He also enjoyed motorcycles, snowmobiles and having coffee with his friends. 

Survivors include his wife of 67 years, Sandy Skinner of Yankton, South Dakota; three children: Pam Skinner of Yankton, Brad (Lynn) Skinner of Sunrise Beach, Missouri, and Andrea Skinner of Seward, Nebraska; three granddaughters: Charissa Skinner, Chandra (Scott) Jennings and Mariah (Aaron) Jarosh; and two great-grandsons.

He was preceded in death by his parents.

To post an online sympathy message to the family, please visit http://www.wintzrayfuneralhome.com.