COUNCIL #3182 - CHRISTOPHER COUNCIL REMEMBERS
JOHN T. SKEHAN

John T. Skehan, Sr. LTC, USA retired, passed away peacefully on September 3, 2024 at the age of 92.

”Jack” was born on December 23, 1931 to John and Julia Tevlin Skehan in New York City. Julia passed away shortly after giving birth and John remarried Eileen Baldwin and they moved to the Bronx. He attended Fordham Prep and Fordham University where he received a BS in Chemistry. He married his sweetheart Loretto Behan, also of the Bronx, and they moved to Virginia Beach where he served in the US Army.

In 1955, he joined the DuPont Company and moved to Claymont, DE. He was a Researcher and Chemist working in locations throughout Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. His work includes patents for Krytox, a grease and hydraulic fluid still manufactured today. He retired in 1992 after 37 years with DuPont. He was a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

His Military Service continued with the Army Reserves and he retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in1992.

Jack was a committed member of Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Claymont, DE for more than 60 years. His distinct New York accent was renowned by parishioners where he was the standing lector at 12:00 mass for years.

Jack was generous with his time and of great service to his country and community. He taught CCD, volunteered at the Claymont Community Center, Knights of Columbus, B’nai B’rith House, Delaware Veterans Hospital and was a member of The American Legion Post 18. He truly loved his volunteer service at The Seamen’s Center in Wilmington and took great joy in helping sailors from abroad navigate the streets of Wilmington.

Known for his insatiable appetite for knowledge, he was a voracious reader. It was not uncommon to catch him reading a book, watching a hockey game, and listening to Russian language tapes, doing all simultaneously. He loved his family, sports, travel, music, art, language and genealogy.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Loretto and son, Jerry. He is survived by his children, Catherine (Tom), John “Jake” (Linda), Lawrence, Joanne “Twig”; brother, Bill Skehan and his wife, Eileen of Plandome, New York and their children, Michael and Deirdre; grandchildren, Christine, Andrew, Charlie, Martha and Johnny; and great grandchildren, Lennix and Cullen.