William E. Skaggs

WILLIAM E. SKAGGS

 William E. Skaggs, 99, of Bethesda, Ohio passed away quietly at his home surrounded by members of his family, on Tuesday, December 28, 2021.  He was born September 12, 1922, the son of the late Earl N. Skaggs and Ruth Rinkes Skaggs also of Bethesda.

Bill graduated from Bethesda High School and later attended Ohio State University.  During World War II he joined the Army Air Corps as an instructor and was stationed in Texas.  While stationed there, he persuaded the girl who lived across the street from him in Bethesda, Dorothy L. Kemp, to come to Texas and marry him.  She did and they were married on September 4, 1943 and remained married for the next 73 years.  After the war, Bill returned home to Bethesda and eventually went to work as an agent for Equitable Life Insurance Company in Bellaire, Ohio.  He was later transferred to Fairmont, WV and then was promoted to staff manager and transferred to Wheeling, WV and finally he was sent to company headquarters in Washington, DC, where he became a vice president.  He retired from Equitable and moved back to Bethesda and opened his own insurance agency, Insurance Services, in Barnesville, OH.  Bill was a Mason and member of the Hazen Lodge #251 in Bethesda and a member of American Legion Post 90 in Bethesda.  He was a member of the Bethesda United Methodist Church where he served faithfully for many years as choir member, Sunday School Superintendent and Treasurer.  He was often doing repairs or other projects at the church in the company of his buddies, Guy Blaney and Pud Gregor. 

 Bill will be remembered for his kindness, his generosity, his integrity, his meticulous planning of any project and his corny jokes.  He will be greatly missed by his family and friends.

 Bill is preceded in death by his wife Dorothy L. Kemp Skaggs and a brother Jack Skaggs.  He is survived by his sons, Richard Skaggs of Wheeling, WV, Jay (Dana) Skaggs of Ashtabula, OH; and daughter, Jane (Richard) Woollard of Bethesda, OH; six grandchildren and seven great grandchildren.

 Visitation will be at Patron Funeral Home in Bethesda, OH from 12:00—2:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 30th, with service to follow at 2:00 p.m.  The Reverend Tom Detling and the Reverend John Jackson will officiate the service.  Interment will be at Ebenezer Cemetery following the service.  The family would like to give special thanks for the kind and loving care given to our father by the members of the Guernsey County Hospice Service.

Prayers, fond memories, and expressions of sympathy may be shared at: patronfuneralhomesandcrematory.com.

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