John Skok

John passed away March 5th, 2020 after a long battle with Melanoma. He was surrounded by loving friends and family, including his wife of 34 years, Anne, and two daughters, Emma and Alice. John was born in Lincoln Park in Chicago, IL to Betty and Joe Skok. He is survived by his older sister Maureen Schaffhausen and younger sister Sue Dolan. He attended Lewis College and Northern Illinois University, earning his bachelor's degree in Geology. He obtained his Masters in Geology at State University of New York, Binghamton. John moved to Colorado in 1974 and shortly after began working at the Colorado School of Mines as a Lab Coordinator in the Geology department. He retired in 2015 after 39 years with the department and was admired and remembered by the many he worked with. John was a resident of Boulder for over 45 years. He was an avid cyclist, often riding up Lookout Mountain in Golden during his lunch breaks. He met his wife, Anne, in a road bike group. They would ride dozens of miles through canyons and valleys on the weekends in the warm months and downhill or cross-country ski in the winters. They loved to travel together including trips to Canyonlands, Costa Rica, and Puerto Vallarta. He and Anne spent their honeymoon in Puerto Vallarta and have returned to Mexico every year but one where they would snorkel, scuba, hike, and eventually own a palapa. He was known for his killer margaritas. He also loved woodworking, spending hours in his wood shop building beautiful furniture for his home. John loved being a dad to his two girls and liked to take them camping on their property in Paonia and hiking and traveling including month long house trades in England and Spain. He would cheer them on at soccer games, was an active Girl Scout dad and enjoyed working behind the scenes on play productions. He taught them how to make a fire, cook, plant a garden, to appreciate good movies and music, what makes a great bourbon, and the value of being a kind person. He was always supportive and encouraged his girls to follow their dreams. John was also an amazing friend and has kept his friendships since college, working at the Walrus in the 70's and beyond. He never forgot a birthday and would spend hours talking with friends and family on the phone. He was probably the only person who still knew everyone's numbers by heart. Because of his kind demeanor and joke telling, he also had friends wherever he went, whether it be a cashier at Safeway, a waitress at Parkway Cafe, or the teller at the bank. During his retirement he loved to golf, travel with Anne, visit his daughters (and grandcats and dog), and excelled in growing marijuana plants bigger than himself. John was also an environmentalist. He will be remembered for the long walks he would take in the neighborhood, the outrageous Christmas parties he would throw, getting into long philosophical discussions, and telling inappropriate jokes. John influenced so many people and will be missed by an extensive circle of friends, acquaintances, and family. Anne, Emma, and Alice would like to thank everyone who has been supportive during this difficult time. It has meant so much to us and him. We love and miss you dearly. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his name to the Denver Rescue Mission or EFAA. There will be a celebration of John's life Saturday, March 14, 1:00 at Altona Grange Hall.