Obituary of Karen Skillman

Karen Skillman

August 18, 1946 - August 24, 2017

Karen Ilean (Scarborough) Skillman 71, passed away in her sleep on August 24th, 2017 at her home in Vancouver, WA with her husband, daughter and sons by her side.  Karen was born August 18, 1946, in Oregon City, OR to Ralph and Della Ilean Scarborough.  In April of 1960, the family moved to Newport, OR when her parents purchased the M & I Variety Store where Karen worked after school and during summer breaks from school.

Karen graduated from Newport High School in 1964.  She then earned a BS in Elementary Education in June 1968 from Oregon College of Education in Monmouth, OR and a Masters in Technology in 1995 from City University in Bellevue, WA.  Her first teaching assignment was at Hough Elementary School in Vancouver where she taught first grade for six years.  

Karen met her husband, Gerald (Jerry) Skillman in Vancouver, WA on April 4, 1968, when she rented an apartment next door to him.   On April 4, 1969, they were engaged, and one year later, on April 4, 1970, they were married at Grant Park Church in Portland, OR.  Jerry’s job as a Dispatcher for the Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railroad (SP&S) was transferred in 1970 from Portland to Vancouver, where they lived until 1983 when his job as Manager of Transportation for the Burlington Northern Railroad was moved from Vancouver to Seattle.  At that time the family relocated to Everett where Karen spent the next six years at home caring for her growing family.  She then applied for and was hired by the Everett School district where she taught first grade at Madison, Silver Lake, and Penny Creek Elementary schools for a combined total of 22 years prior to her retiring in 2008.  Several years later she and Jerry decided that a change of weather was needed and they returned to the Vancouver area.

Karen is survived by her husband of 47 years, Gerald L. Skillman of Vancouver, daughter Jodi Moses of Talkeetna, Alaska, sons Jeffrey and Troy Skillman of Everett, her mother Della Ilean Scarborough of Newport, OR, brother Dennis Scarborough of Medford, OR and five grandchildren, Kailey Carlson, Ethan Carlson, Ryker Moses, and Jace and Jordin Skillman.  She was preceded in death by her father Ralph Scarborough. 

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations may be made in Karen's name to:  

Everett Public Schools Foundation www.everettsd.org/Page/ 18038 or
Foundation for Vancouver PublicSchools foundationforvps.org/ or  
Clark County Food Bank www.clarkcountyfoodbank.org/ or
Snohomish County Food Bank.  snohomishfoodbank.org/get-  help/additional-resources-3/