Mr. Skolek was born May 30, 1918, in Ottawa, Illinois to Lenhart and Mary (Duchala) Skolek.
He retired from Libbey-Owens-Ford Glass Company after 42 years. He served in the Army 82nd Airborne Division during World War II and was awarded the Bronze Star with three Oak Leaf Clusters, one Silver Star and four Purple Hearts for wounds received on June 10, 1943, in Sicily; June 9, 1944, in Normandy; Sept. 25, 1944, in Holland; and Dec. 25, 1944, in Belgium.
He was a member of the Allied Airborne invasion forces that landed behind enemy lines June 6, 1944, D-Day, with the 505 Parachute Infantry Regiment D Company.
He was a member of St. Columba Church and a lifetime member of the American Legion Post 33, Veterans of Foreign Wars and Disabled American Veterans and a charter member of the 82nd Airborne Division Association John Steele Chapter of Ottawa.
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