Joseph Peter Skop, Sr.

Joseph Peter Skop Sr. 85, of Boyne Falls, passed away Tuesday, August 23, 2016 with his children by his side.  He was born on February 23, 1931 in Boyne Falls to Mike and Anna (Kominski) Skop.  He grew up in Boyne Falls and in 1949 graduated from Boyne Falls School.

Joe was drafted into the US Army and served two years as Corporal and company clerk in England and Germany during the Korean War.

On October 1, 1955 Joe married Marian West of Boyne City. The couple moved to Flint, where he worked for General Motors.  In 1957, they moved back to Boyne Falls to be close to family and to eventually raise four children.  Joe served on the Boyne Falls School Board and coached little league and Babe Ruth Baseball.

Joe worked as a union carpenter his entire life and loved to point out some of his favorite jobs, such as erecting the Grand Traverse Resort Tower and the Interlochen Amphitheater.  He bought and ran The Ski Shop at Thunder Mountain Ski Resort in 1960 and ran the shop each winter, until the resort closed.

Joe loved gardening; which included a beautiful orchard with a variety of fruit trees and grapevines.  Every year, for decades, he purchased a minimum of one hundred pine trees to plant on his property.  In his younger years, he enjoyed hunting, golfing and fishing. More recently, he loved visiting the casinos and watching the Detroit Pistons and Tigers.       

Joe is survived by his four children: Joe Jr of Boyne Falls, Tim of Boyne City, Pamela (David) LaGattuta of Grayling, Lindee (Joe) LaForest of Petoskey, his grandchildren: Kristi (Ryan) Gray, Amanda (Noah) Stanek, Heather (Joel) Denison, Andrea Skop, and Sophie LaGattuta, and three great-grandchildren; two sisters: Patricia (William) Zibell and Stella Sendrowicz, and two brothers: Frank (Kay) Skop and David Skop. He was proceeded in death by his wife, Marian, his parents, Mike and Anna, and his brother Ronald.

Visitation will be held Friday, August 26th, at St. Augustine Catholic Church in Boyne Falls from 5-7pm. Rosary at 7pm. Funeral services will be held at St. Augustine on Saturday August 27th at 11am, followed by the American Legion Honor Guard, graveside ceremony, and luncheon.

Memorial donations may be directed to the St. Augustine Catholic Church.

Family and friends wishing to share a thought or memory are encouraged to do so online at wwwstonefunerahomeinc.com.

Stackus Funeral Home of Boyne City is serving the family.

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