John F. Eskins Sr.

JOHN F. ESKINS SR., of Dawes, passed away on November 26, 2025 after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease. He was 99.
Our dad was preceded in death by his father and mother, Homer and Dora Foster Eskins, wife Maxie Lanham Eskins, brother Cloyd Eskins, sister Mary Eskins Foster, and son Homer Lee Eskins.
John was a World War II combat veteran. He was awarded a Bronze Star while serving in the European Theatre. Dad was a retired coal miner.
Surviving John is his son, John Eskins Jr. of Charleston, WV, daughters; Linda (Daniel) Freeman of Acme, WV, Mary (Ron) Walls of Charleston, WV, Dinace Harless of Charleston, WV, and Patty (David) Steckel of Charleston, WV, seven grandchildren; Joshua, Lisa, Amanda, Karl, Marc, Chris and Jennifer, and six great grandchildren; Seth, Chesnee, Gunnar, Ashton, Aubrey and Tristan. We would be amiss if we did not mention his cat, Pearl.
Dad was a good and decent man who always put family first, even when it conflicted with his needs. When our mom died, he became both mom and dad. His favorite pastime was gardening; he had a vegetable garden until age 95 and always loved roses. In his opinion there were never enough roses, you could always use one more. Our dad will always be in our hearts.
The family would like to thank Hospice, especially his nurses, Stacey and Chris, for helping us and dad through this process. In addition, the family would like to thank Dr. Sue Westfall (retired) and her excellent team for the great care dad received over the years. Dad had great neighbors who always cared and watched out for him, especially the Coleman family. Dad thought of Alex as his grandson.
A private graveside service will be held in the Spring. Dad will be buried with his family at Foster Cemetery in Dawes WV.
Leonard Johnson Funeral Home, Marmet, is assisting the family. In lieu of flowers, the family would suggest making a donation to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
Condolences may be sent to the family at leonardjohnsonfuneralhome.com.