Died April 10, 2019, McKinney, Texas at age 92 after a long illness.
Survived by his children, Debbi Conger, Mike Skinner, Pat Skinner and Dan Skinner and eight grandchildren.
Dad grew up on a cattle ranch in western North Dakota and went to a one room school house until eighth grade when he started attending public school in Dickenson, ND and graduated from Dickenson High School. Ed was raised riding horses and was adept at managing cattle, working with his Uncle Del and his brother Dick on cattle drives. At age 17, he enlisted into the Navy and became a radio man and rear gunner on a dive bomber during WWII. He was honorably discharged.
Ed used the GI bill to attend University of North Dakota, majoring in Accounting, and driving a bus for spending money. There he met Betty Cafferty. He graduated in 1950 and married Betty during a blizzard in Beach, North Dakota on December 26, 1950.
After college, Ed was hired by Ford Motor Company and started working in Fargo, North Dakota. He was promoted often and transferred to other locations including Detroit, Memphis, Los Angeles, Jacksonville FLA and Dallas. He returned to Michigan to finish his 36-year career at Ford. He was highly regarded at Ford for his integrity, patience, and people skills, eventually managing 1,500 employees.
After retirement, Ed and Betty moved to Horseshoe Bay, Texas where they played golf, participated in the local theater, hosted many parties, and traveled. After Betty passed away in 1998, Ed filled his life with travel and friends in Texas. He spent his last years in McKinney, Texas.
Ed was an avid golfer, a good bowler, played neighborhood volleyball and softball when he was younger. He participated in many activities with his children such as refereeing, running the local baseball Little League, and president of the Terry Parker PTA. He is a lifetime member of the Livingston County Michigan Farmers Association. He donated to the University of North Dakota Alumni Association and was very fond of rodeo activities. He was a wonderful father to his children and made many life-long friends.
When asked to sum up his life, his comment was “My Family Made It Great!”
In lieu of flowers please consider donating to The American Cancer Society in Ed’s honor.
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