Tenth Generation

7750. Isaac Newton "Skip" Skillman Jr. was born on 22 September 1924 in Detroit, Wayne, MI. He received a B.S. Mechanical Engr. degree in 1948 at Univ. of Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI. He lived in Lake Angelus, MI in 1974. Skip lived in Bay City, Bay, MI between 1974 and 2002. He died on 19 February 2002 at the age of 77 at home in Bay City, Bay, MI. Obit in Bay City Times, Bay City, MI. Feb. 20, 2002. He died after a long illness.

Death benefit sent to Bay City, Bay, MI He served in the military WW II in U.S. Navy. He was commissioned an Officer in the NROTC program at the Univ. of MI in 1945. He was a Lieutenant J.G. and served in the Pacific Theatre. Skip had Social Security Number 376-20-7023 (MI).

Isaac Newton "Skip" Skillman Jr. and Sarah Ann "Sally" Ekelund were married in July 1947 in Pontiac, Oakland, MI. Sarah Ann "Sally" Ekelund, daughter of Clifford Thoren Ekelund and Katharine Georgia Weiser, was born on 12 May 1926 in Hibbing, MN. She died on 2 June 2012 at the age of 86 at at her home in Bay City, Bay, MI. SKILLMAN, SARA (SALLY) EKELUND Age 86, passed away June 2, 2012, in her home in Bay City, Michigan. Sally lived a vibrant and full life surrounded by a loving family right up to her last days. Born May 8, 1926, in Hibbing, Minnesota to Dr. Clifford T. (1893-1967) and Katharine Weiser (1900-1995) Ekelund, she was the eldest of three daughters. She graduated from Kingswood School Cranbrook in 1943 and attended Vassar College and Michigan State University. In July of 1947 she married Newton (Skip) Skillman Jr. in Pontiac, Michigan, and together they shared 55 years raising a family, exploring the world and celebrating life. They drove away from their wedding in a streamline trailer bound for Colorado, the first of many adventures on the road. Over her lifetime, she travelled to nearly 100 countries.
Sally and Newt first settled in Farmington, Michigan, where son Christopher was born in 1949. Two years later, they purchased and moved into the Senior Skillman home at Lake Angelus and lived there until moving to Bay City in 1972. During her Lake Angelus years, she raised five children and their multiple pets including championship Old English Sheepdogs, various cats, a long-lived cockatiel and the occasional wild animal rescued by one of her children.
Sally was a member of the Detroit Junior League and co-founder of the Birmingham Junior League. She was an avid gardener and founded the Lake Angelus branch of the Women's National Farm and Garden Association. She was a certified judge for flower shows and her garden at Lake Angelus was a haven for her children and neighbors with its small ponds, rock-lined brook, flowers, blooming shrubs and shade trees.
Sally was also a member of the Detroit Art Institute and served on the Steering Committee of the Detroit Grand Opera Association which was responsible for bringing the Metropolitan Opera to Detroit. Closer to home, Sally served on the Grand Opening Committee of the Pontiac Creative Arts Center, founded in 1965 by family friend Dr. Harold Furlong. Sally was a member of All Saints Episcopal Church of Pontiac and Trinity Episcopal Church in Bay City and served on the Altar Guilds of both for over 50 years. To help establish the St. Mary's Church parish in Lake Orion, she organized the first St. Mary's Church Fair in 1958, which is still running to this day. She was also instrumental in establishing the Girl's Friendly Society camp in Ortonville, a faith-based summer camp for girls. In Bay City, she joined Trinity Episcopal Church and continued her work on the Altar Guild and as a Lector for Sunday services.
After raising their family, Sally and Newt opened Tootin' Turtles Motorhome Rentals and the Tortoise Shell Gift Shop in the early 1970s, matching their love of travel with a love of fine gifts. In Bay City, Sally served on the Board of Child and Family Services of Bay City, including a couple of terms as president. She also continued her work in the world of gardening, with the Bay City Garden Club, serving on many flower show committees. From 1975-79, she was Promotion Director and Manager of Hampton Square Mall, the first enclosed mall in Bay City. In the early 1980s she worked as a Real Estate Agent in Bay City before becoming certified as a Travel Agent in 1985. She worked for Opperman Lee Travel in both Bay City and Saginaw until she retired in 2011. Sally was an avid reader and treasured the discoveries she made with the James Girls Book Club. Sally is survived by her two sisters Mary Sue Ekelund Meyer, and Georgia "Dodie" Ekelund Smith (Bruce); five children Christopher Skillman (Nancy), Amy Skillman, Newton Skillman III (Yvonne), Stephen Skillman (Pamela) and Tim Skillman (Jean); nine grandchildren Derek Skillman (Katie), Stacey Skillman, Jordan Skillman, Spencer Skillman , Erica Skillman, Philip Skillman, Mary Skillman, Tate Skillman and Lakin Skillman; and one great granddaughter Lorelei Skillman. She is predeceased by her husband Newton Skillman Jr. (February 2002). Visitation will be held at Penzien Steele Funeral Home, 608 N. Madison Ave., Bay City, Michigan, Friday June 8 , 5 - 8 pm and Saturday, June 9, 1 - 4 pm. Funeral services will be held Sunday, June 10, 2012 at 2:00 pm Trinity Episcopal Church 815 N. Grant Street, Bay City. Memorial Service and Interment will be at White Chapel Cemetery, Troy on Monday, June 11 at 11 am. Reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations sent in Sally's name to Cranbrook School (the Kingswood Restoration & Preservation Fund), Bloomfield Hills, Michigan; Trinity Episcopal Church, McLaren Visiting Nurse and Hospice of Bay City; or, we ask that you plant a tree or flowering shrub in her honor in your town or neighborhood. Bright, worldly, and ever-gracious, Sally believed in living life large. For details and the full obituary visit www.steelefuneraldirectors.com or call 989- 892-8531. 

Bay City Times 6/6, 7/2012

She was buried on 11 June 2012 at White Chapel Cemetery in Troy, Oakland, MI. Sally was a member at All Saints Episcopal Church in Pontiac, Oakland, MI. She was a member at Trinity Episcopal Church in Bay City, Bay, MI.

Isaac Newton "Skip" Skillman Jr.-6488 and Sarah Ann "Sally" Ekelund-6666 had the following children: