Richard Alex SKALBANIA

1936 - 2022

RICHARD ALEX SKALBANIA It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Richard Alex Skalbania on Sunday, May 29, 2022. Richard was born in Wilkie, Saskatchewan on November 12, 1936. He was predeceased by his parents, Alexander and Rozalia, who were born in Poland but immigrated to Canada in 1935. He is survived by Irena, his loving wife of 53 years; his two brothers, Nelson and Alexander; his two sons, Alexander (Laurie) and Richard (Sonja); his daughter, Karen Prins (Douglas); and seven grandchildren, Sophia, Stefan, Stasia, Samuel, Alexander, Annika, and Lina. Richard graduated from Gladstone High School in 1955 with straight A's. He played guitar in a band called the Syncopated Six and participated in various sports including rugby and track and field. Richard was an accomplished high jumper but where he made his mark was running the mile. In his final high school meet in 1955, he ran the second fastest high school mile ever run to that date in BC. As a result of this achievement and his stellar academic record, Richard received a track/scholastic scholarship to the University of Washington where he graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Master's in Aeronautical Engineering. His lifelong passion for airplanes began at age 7 when he built model airplanes including a large model of a WWII Airacobra P39 that was displayed at the Pacific National Exhibition. After graduation, he worked for the Boeing Airplane Company for 8 years, where he helped design the tail sections for both the 747 and the SST. In 1967 he moved back from Seattle to Vancouver where he met and married his wife, Irena. In Vancouver, he worked for several years as a structural engineer for McKenzie, Snowball & Skalbania. He pursued his love for hiking, which he shared with Irena and his children, brothers and nieces. He remained committed to running and spent many hours training at the West Vancouver High School track. He methodically recorded not only his own times at various distances but also those of his children and inspired them with his work ethic to be lifelong athletes and competitors. To see him run was truly a thing of beauty. Richard was an accomplished musician, playing both guitar and piano. He composed his own music and often gave impromptu performances at family gatherings. He read voraciously, compiled an extensive library and spent time educating himself and others on a variety of disciplines including physics, philosophy, electrodynamics, alternative energy, and the effect of environment on health. For example, he devoted years of his own time to the subject of being able to predict earthquakes. The volume of this research remains unpublished, after which he would then pursue another puzzle. He was a great giver of books and during his lifetime gifted hundreds of them to family and friends. However, as much as he loved his books and research projects, he loved his family more. He was a devoted husband and was proud of each of his children and grandchildren with whom he loved to spend time. Richard is going to be interred in a private family memorial service. We thank the staff of Vancouver General Hospital for their excellent care.