Thomas Skerbeck Obituary

Thomas came into the world March 13, 1961 and left us on February 2, 2025. He was born the 12th child to a family that would eventually total 15 siblings. As the 12th-born, he was baptized by Archbishop Thomas A. Connelly at Queen of Angels Church in Port Angeles.

Thomas attended elementary school at Dry Creek, a school for developmentally disabled students, where he met what would be lifelong contemporary friends. He graduated from this program and attended special education classes at Port Angeles Senior High School, where he was a proud 1979 graduate the year he turned eighteen. Years later, on his weekly overnight

with his mother Dorothy at The Lodge in Sequim, he chose to dine with a teacher whom he associated with his glory days at Port Angeles Senior High School. Everyone Thomas met was either already a friend or a potential friend.


Like other high school graduates, Thomas declared a strong desire to live as an independent adult with his friends. In order to earn a place on the waiting list at Christine Apartments, the assisted living facility his parents helped create, he needed first to prove his need by failing an attempt at living independently. He rented a basement apartment in Seattle while attending a course at the University of Washington that taught restaurant-related skills to differently-abled students. He learned to buy candy bars, magazines, and how not to get on the right bus. On one memorable occasion, his Seattle-based siblings found him missing from his own birthday party at his own apartment. A "missing person at risk" alert told them he'd been recognized by a Seattle Metro bus driver and hours later, a bus delivered him dancing with joy to his own reflection, alone in his chariot, blessedly unharmed. Whew!


After a "setback" period back home with his parents, Thomas secured a spot at Christine Apartments on 7th Street in West Port Angeles. He lived there continuously save a few exhilarating vacations (Hawaii, Disney, summer camps), experiencing a collection of different roommates, and eventually rising to the apartment complex's lofty "single" apartment. He was visited by a brother or a sister each weekend, who each did their best to meet his love of bowling, sports teams, cowboy and adventure movies, and professional wrestling. He moved to a ground-floor apartment when his aching joints no longer tolerated the sets of stairs to his aerie, and it was in that space that Thomas evinced symptoms of seizures and dementia and ultimately died in his bed at what had been his home for 37 years.


Thomas was predeceased by his father Frank, his mother Dorothy, his brother Franz, his sister Marilyn, and his brother Eric. Thomas is survived by his sister Kathy Beil, sister Sharron Kron, sister Bobbie Stoneman (Don), sister Patty Metcalf (Conard), sister Carole Kalahar (Michael), brother Leon (Lucille Celestino), sister Teresa Cherf (Ken), brother K.Ben (Kim), brother Matt, brother Damian (Carrie), and brother Andy. He is loved by brothers in law Bob Baldwin (deceased) and Ron Beil.

He is also loved and mourned by numerous in-laws, nieces and nephews.


There will be a funeral mass for Thomas at Queen of Angels Church at 11:00 AM Friday, February 14, followed by a reception at the Queen of Angels Hall adjacent to the church.


Donations may be sent to Camp Beausite Northwest, which serves persons with special needs ages 7–99+.

(Thomas loved his time at what he called "Camp Bullseye".