Lynn William Skilling

Lynn William Skilling, born September 12th 1944 in Green Bay, Wisconsin, discovered his expiration date to be October 6th, 2025 in Sequim, Washington. He was 81 years old.

He was also a veteran; also a repo man; also a police officer; also a corporate executive; also an auto-dealer; also a Zoo docent; also a High School Security Supervisor; also a volunteer K-9 training dummy. But nothing in this litany of vocations and accomplishments says much if anything about the man himself. That testimony can only be given by those of us who remain.

He was a loyal, faithful, and loving husband of 56 years; a father to two well-adjusted children who both feared and revered him in the course of their lives. Over his 26 years of retirement, he dedicated his time to helping others by volunteering in the local community center, and within the city's police department.

But if there can be any better evidence of the man's character, it may not be the quality with which he conducted his life moreso than how he faced his death. He was diagnosed with Leukemia in the spring of 2024, and while we all know the clock of time ticks for us all, that affliction combined with his age certified just how finite his future had become. And yet he faced it all with dignity, good humor, and an acceptance of reality that verged always on peace, if not twinged with mild annoyance.

In his last days he refused further treatments of blood transfusions and platelet infusions to keep him alive, instead insisting such precious resources be dedicated to someone who could benefit from them more than his weakening body could. At the very end, he concerned himself with the welfare of others over his own. There really is no greater eulogy one might hope to have published of them.

Lynn is survived by his wife Rebecca, his son Ross, his daughter Sarah, and a well-fed cat named Tigger.