Donald E. Skelton

DONALD EARL SKELTON passed on Oct. 21, 2019, Age 93. Loving husband and traveling companion of Marion (nee Kruse) for 53 years. Dear Dad of William Earl (Sarah) and Todd Donald (Molly). Proud Grandpa of Anna Lane, Jared William, and Evelyn Lea. Born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, Don was preceded in death by his father, Earl William, and mother, Edna (nee Larson) and his twin sister Dorothy Litkowiak. Brother-in-law of Betty Kruse Boese and the late Lois Kruse. Uncle to Keith (Diana) Anderson and family of Henderson, NV, Eric Anderson of St. Louis Park, MN, and Russ (Lynn) Anderson and daughters of Carver, MN.

Don served as an electronics technician on the U.S.S. Sawfish for the U.S. Navy in WWII beginning in January, 1945. He was stationed out of Mare Island Naval Base at Vallejo, CA until July 1946. Don took his electronics skills to the Illinois Bell Telephone Company in 1947 where he climbed poles, installed land-lines and eventually became one of their first computer programmers in the 1960’s.

Don retired from the phone company after 39 years, but continued as a programmer and consultant for various companies through the Y2K conversion where his knowledge of the earliest programming languages proved extremely valuable.

Don loved spending time with family, traveling, kibitzing with old friends from “Ma Bell” and Harper High School and faithfully rooting for the White Sox.

Visitation will be Friday afternoon, Oct. 25th from 3 to 9 PM at Orland Chapel in Orland Park. Funeral services will be on Saturday at 11:00AM at Shepherd of the Hill Lutheran Church in Lockport and Oak Hill Cemetery in Chicago.