JIM SKELTON

William James "Jim" Skelton passed away peacefully at Southlake Regional Health Centre in Newmarket, Ontario on Thursday, December 12, 2024 in his 83rd year.

Jim is survived by his daughters Jennifer Skelton (Marc Casas) of Yellowknife and Kathy Morissette (Mark) of Aurora; his grandchildren Jordi and Dylan of Yellowknife and Quinn, Nathan, Blake and Emmerson of Aurora; and his sister Jane Evans (Bill) and nephews Mark (Catherine) and John (Sarah). Jim is predeceased by his parents, William "Bill" Tate and Lillian Edna Skelton, as well as his first wife, Heather Joy Skelton (nee Mackie), and his second wife, Saundra Elaine Skelton (nee Reynolds).

Born in Kitchener, Ontario in 1942, Jim went on to earn his Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Queen's University in 1965 and his MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario in 1970. As the president of his Ivey class, Jim took great pride in organizing the reunion for his classmates ever five years, and expressed sadness that he will miss being part of the 2025 festivities. Jim was also a Chartered Professional Accountant since 1978.

Jim went on to have a successful career at Nortel (then Northern Telecom), followed by a rewarding entrepreneurial life, founding CASEworks Inc. in 1989, a company that sold and distributed CASE (computer-aided software engineering) software to assist corporations with systems automation. While Jim enjoyed the hustle of downtown Toronto, in the early 90's he made the decision to relocate CASEworks to his beloved Sand Lake, near Kearney, Ontario, where he had been spending summers since childhood. Jim continued to live at Sand Lake after his retirement right up until this past summer and was known for being involved in and making many contributions to the Sand Lake community.

Jim enjoyed travelling throughout his life. Some memorable moments were six months spent travelling around Europe on his first honeymoon with Heather; taking his daughters and wife, Elaine, on road trips across Canada; travelling to Japan, Austria and Colorado on ski trips; several canoe trips including a 2-week trip in Quetico Provincial Park near Thunder Bay; and visiting India on business.

When his daughter Jennifer moved to Yellowknife and his grandsons were born there, Jim enjoyed traveling to the north to go on many adventures with them. Jim also enjoyed visiting Kathy and her family in Aurora throughout the year and being part of their daily life. Throughout his life Jim enjoyed many recreational activities, especially canoeing (and tripping), sailing, downhill skiing, cycling, and waterskiing.

Jim will be remembered for his ability to engage and connect with nearly everyone he met, being genuinely curious about people's lives and remembering these details in future conversations.

A celebration of Jim's life will take place this coming summer at Sand Lake. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Jim's memory may be made to the Sand Lake Log Church by e-transfer to wglogchurch@gmail.com. Please include your complete mailing address in the message box in order to receive your tax receipt.