John Jerome Skvarla

Dr. John J. Skvarla died Sunday, March 2, 2014, following a brief illness. He was 78. Dr. Skvarla was born March 30, 1935, in Passaic, New Jersey to Joseph E. Skvarla and Emma Wolsko Skvarla. He earned his bachelor's degree in geology from Upsala College in East Orange, New Jersey, a master's degree from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and a Ph. D. in Botany from the University of Texas at Austin.

Dr. Skvarla joined the Department of Botany and Microbiology at the University of Oklahoma in 1965 as an Assistant Professor in charge of the then embryonic Electron Microscope Facility on the OU campus. His career at OU spanned forty-five years. A prolific writer, Dr. Skvarla had over 200 referenced publications on pollen morphology and ultrastructure and has made numerous presentations at scientific meetings both nationally and internationally. He retired in 2010 as a George Lynn Cross Research Professor of Botany after 45 years of service but continued active research at the university, where he collaborated with colleagues at the University of Texas, Smithsonian Institution, the Missouri Botanical Garden, the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh, Scotland, Kew Gardens in London, The University of Stockholm and the Komarov Botanical Institute in St. Petersburg, Russia. In 2006, he was recognized for his contributions to botanical research at the annual meeting of the American Botanical Society in Vancouver, British Columbia.

John was an enthusiastic fly fisherman, who loved summers in Colorado pursuing the wily trout. He loved sports and was a lifelong fan of both the Yankees and the Texas Longhorns. He was the ultimate family man. He accompanied his wife to numerous quilt shows and enjoyed every minute of it. He never missed a child's softball game and always encouraged the team members to do their best. In short, everybody loved him. He found all types of people interesting and loved to hear their stories. He never missed Mass unless he was sick. He was a precious man.

John was preceded in death by his parents, son, John Mathew and daughter, Tracy Elizabeth. He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Donna Skvarla of the home, daughter
Emily Skvarla, of Chicago, daughter Jeanne Johnson, son-in-law Dr. Mark Johnson and grandchildren, Lilly and Gabe Johnson of Catania, Sicily.

The family has designated the Bridges Project as appropriate for remembrances of John. 1670 Stubbeman Ave., Norman, OK 73069.