Peter Otto Skoglund

Peter Otto Skoglund was born on October 17, 1946, in Evanston, Illinois. His parents were Otto Hildbert Skoglund and Marjorie Stilling Skoglund. Peter had one older sister, Susan, who passed away in 2018.
When Peter was two years old, his father, Otto, died of a heart attack. Peter's amazing mother, a beloved schoolteacher in the Evanston public school system, raised Peter and Susan on her own in a loving home in Evanston.
At Evanston High School, Peter dedicated himself to the sport of swimming. He ultimately became a two-time Illinois State Champion in the backstroke, and he received scholarship offers from colleges and universities around the country.
Peter – a committed family man even then – chose Northwestern University in Evanston to remain close to his mom, and he attended Northwestern on a full swimming scholarship.
At Northwestern, Peter excelled in swimming, setting records that stood for years, becoming an All-American, and placing 4th in the 100 backstroke at the 1966 NCAA national championships.
Peter's love of swimming stayed with him his whole life, and almost every morning each week for several decades, Peter began his day by swimming. He often referred to it later in the day as "my mile" – as in, "I got my mile in this morning and then went and met The Captain for lunch."
In his 60s, Peter was on teams (with a lot of people in their 20s and 30s) that successfully completed the Manhattan Island Swim – the team members taking turns swimming around the entire island of Manhattan. Peter absolutely loved that event.
On Thursday, February 29, 2024, Peter went for his final swim.
That morning, he went to do his regular swim at the pool in Spring Island, South Carolina. But during his swim, he got out of the water, collapsed, suffered a major heart attack, and he passed away.
We, his family, are devastated.
But we take comfort in knowing that Peter lived a full, full life.
After graduating from Northwestern in 1968, Peter went on to get his MBA from Washington University in St. Louis. Following business school, Peter went to work for Merrill Lynch in Chicago as a stockbroker.
Over the next 50 years, Peter worked hard, he worked honestly, he treated people the right way, and he had a successful career in the financial services industry. When he retired in 2016, Peter was a Vice Chairman at Credit Suisse, and before that he was the Head of Private Banking for Credit Suisse in the United States, working out of both its Chicago and New York City offices.
Peter was also strongly committed to community service, and he gave a significant amount of his time to, among other organizations, the Off The Street Club, the Daniel Murphy Scholarship Fund, and the soup kitchen in Waukegan, Illinois.
Peter deeply loved his work. More specifically, he loved the people he worked with. For Peter, it truly was all about the wonderful people he knew and built cherished relationships with.
His love of people was a constant in his life; he had many dear friends all over the world.
But his biggest love – without question – was his love for his family.
And that started with the most important person in his life, his beloved wife, Nancy Ackert Skoglund.
Born on a U.S. Army base in Guam, Nancy proudly comes from a military family, and Peter and Nancy met in Chicago. Nancy was Miss Michigan in 1966, which got Peter's attention, but the love they shared – and the intense devotion they had for one another – went way, way deeper than the surface.
They married on November 17, 1973, at the Great Lakes Naval Station north of Chicago, and just this past November they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.
The two of them built a wonderful life together. They had three sons – Andy, Matt, and Dan – and Peter and Nancy truly devoted their lives to their three boys.
Their house was a raucous one – full of energy, sports (primarily ice hockey), dogs, cats, friends, life, and love – and Peter and Nancy were amazing parents.
We can't stress this enough: Peter and Nancy devoted themselves to their three boys.
Their lives got even better when Andy, Matt, and Dan each got married, as their family grew, and they now had daughters.
And then they hit the jackpot (as Peter liked to say) when grandchildren starting showing up. Peter, Harry, Brynn, Otto, Annie, Greta, Will, and Owen – these eight beautiful grandchildren became the center of their universe over the past 18 years, with Peter and Nancy – now Papa and Nana – largely planning their calendar year around seeing their kids and grandkids.
There is so much more to say about Peter Otto Skoglund, but please just know this: he was a wonderful, kind, good man, his generosity knew no bounds, he was deeply loved by many, and he loved his family and friends more than anything in the world.
Thank you, Papa. Thank you, Dad. Thank you, Peter.
Our worlds will never be the same.
Peter is survived by his wife, Nancy (77), who lives in Lake Forest, Illinois; his son Andy (48), who lives in Wilmette, Illinois; Andy's three children, Peter (18), Harry (16), and Brynn (14) and their mother, Bevin (d.); his son Matt (45), who lives with his wife, Sarah (44), and their two kids, Otto (10) and Greta (7), in Wilsall, Montana; his son Dan (41), who lives with his wife, Elizabeth (39), and their three kids, Annie (8), Will (5), and Owen (3) in Dorset, Vermont; his brother-in-law, T.J., and T.J.'s wife, Mary; his sister-in-law, Susan, and many wonderful nephews and nieces.
A Funeral Mass for Peter will be held at the Church of St. Mary, 175 E. Illinois Road, Lake Forest, Illinois, on Friday, March 22, 2024, at 11:30 AM.
For information – Reuland & Turnbough Funeral Directors of Lake Forest, 847-234-9649 or www.RTfunerals.com.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in honor of Peter to the Daniel Murphy Scholarship Fund in Chicago (www.dmsf.org).