To view the flowers from John's service, click here: John Skowronek Flowers

John Charles Skowronek, 67, of Reno, Nevada, was tragically killed September 11, 2021 on I-80 in Truckee, California by a drunk driver going the wrong way.

John Skowronek was born on January 20, 1954 to Walter and Eileen (Hoellinger) Skowronek.  Most of John's formative years were spent in Minot where he attended Little Flower Elementary School and Bishop Ryan High School, graduating in 1972.  While at Ryan High School he was very active in football, basketball, choir and drama with musicals being his favorite. He had continued playing basketball for the rest of his life and always enjoyed being up in front of people and singing.

John continued his education at Minot State University where he was a member of the Mu Sig Tau Fraternity. He transitioned into the building trades and followed in his father's footsteps when he became a Master Electrician and a member of the  International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. It was during this time that he served on the Minot City Council for several years and as a member of St. Leo's Catholic Church where he was a lector/reader, member of the choir and served on the church council. Also, he was an active member of the Mouse River Players theatre group.

After eight years as an electrician he returned to college, eventually receiving his Juris Doctor from the University of North Dakota. John became an attorney, first in private practice and then, in partnership as Lamont, Dobrovolney and Skowronek P.C. Eventually, he transitioned from law into business as part owner of Lite Form Concrete Construction and Command Labor and a Minot area call center.

John moved to the Reno, Nevada area about eighteen years ago where he owned and operated a Command Labor subsidiary as well as Square One Solutions, a temporary staffing agency. Also, he was employed by Straub Construction, a military construction company, as a safety and OSHA instructor and eventually served as a project manager and superintendent on some projects.  He was a noted OSHA Training Instructor both online and in person and had a role in building the training center for Top Gun Pilots.  It was while he was here that he met and married Terry McGinnis.

John took great pride in having helped establish the Pearson Foundation, which distributed money to nonprofit entities in Minot and throughout North Dakota.  He had continued to serve on its Board of Trustees.

John was at peace when he was outdoors, camping, hiking, just enjoying nature.  Also, he was a noted builder that could do anything.  He was known for helping others with their projects and he completely remodeled in his own home during his pancreatic cancer recovery time. He was a positive thinker and optimist. An example of this trait was when he told his doctors he would hike Mount Rose within one year of his cancer surgery. He completed the hike after only six months of recuperation. What started as hobbies in his early years such as water skiing, snow skiing, bird hunting and building projects, continued throughout his life. In his early years he especially enjoyed time spent at Lake Metigoshe. The story has been told that the purchase of the family cabin at Lake Metigoshe was pay back for his discontinuing and tearing down a major building project in his parents' yard. Rumor had it that the neighbors were getting nervous.

John's spiritual life was very important to him and he prayed every morning thanking God for his many blessings. But his prayer life did not stop there, he prayed with his friends and family on a regular basis and since his tragic death three neighbor girls (10,11 and 14) who spent many holidays with John and Terri asked Terri who was going to lead the table prayers at their gatherings?  It was decided by the ten year old that she would learn how to pray like John and would continue the tradition of leading the prayers.

May John Skowronek Rest In Peace!

John was living in Verdi, Nevada with his wife Terry.  He is also survived by his mother Eileen Skowronek of Minot North Dakota, sister Mary Davis, children Jennifer, Johnny, David, Michael, Angela, stepdaughter Sydney along with numerous grandchildren and a nephew.

John was preceded in death by his father Walter Skowronek along with several aunts, uncles, cousins and nephew.

Mass of Christian Burial: 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, November 3, 2021 at St. Leo The Great Roman Catholic Church in Minot, North Dakota.
Booksigning: Tuesday, November 2, 2021 from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. in Thomas Family Funeral Home, Minot.
Memorial donations may be made to any chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) in John's name.