Daniel Millard Skaggs

He was born on August 5, 1940, in Wichita, Kansas, the third and youngest child of David Millard Skaggs and Crystal Bernadine Skaggs nee Burwell.

Daniel grew up fishing, riding bikes, advancing through the Boy Scouts, and playing piano.

He graduated from high school in 1958 and began attending Oklahoma Christian College later that fall, where he was well known for his talents as a singer and playing the piano in the student union.

In 1959, Daniel left Oklahoma Christian College and enlisted in the Navy. After his basic training, he served four years as a corpsman at the San Diego Naval Station. During his enlistment in San Diego, Daniel met Lutrica Henton from El Cajon, California, and the two were married on March 25, 1961.

In 1967, Daniel enrolled in the Sunset School of Preaching, now Sunset International Bible Institute, in Lubbock, Texas, where he earned a Bachelor’s of Ministry degree.

Following his graduation, Daniel, Lutrica and two of their daughters departed for Saigon, Vietnam, in October 1969, to serve there as missionaries in the service of Christ Jesus.

After returning from Vietnam, Daniel served in congregations of the Churches of Christ in New York and Minnesota before taking the pulpit at the Church of Christ in Hancock, where he made outreach efforts at the colleges and in the community his priority.

Daniel and Lutrica settled in Hancock in 1972, serving the Church of Christ in Hancock until Daniel’s retirement in April of 2017. Daniel and Lutrica moved to Clearfield, Utah, following his retirement.

Surviving Daniel are his wife of 57 and a half years, Lutrica Skaggs; his daughters, Teresa (Charles) Strickler of Clinton, Utah, Jillena Rose of Sault Ste. Marie, and Misty (Richard) Williams of Ogden, Utah; son-in-law, Kelly (Julia) Rende of Livonia; 14 grandchildren, (Teresa’s children) Elizabeth (Garrett) Bruce & Benjamin (Naomi) Strickler, (Jillena’s children) Rachel (Jeffery) Ravellette, Matthew (Kayla) Rose, & Abbigail (Adam) Guernsey, and (Misty’s children) Louis Bond, John (Rosie) McMahon, Michelle Workman, Emily (Joseph) Juntunen, Kathlyn Smith, Leandra Schepis, Rebecca (Justin) Blevins, Thomas Williams, & Joshua Bond Jr.; and 14 great-grandchildren, Jamar, Teyonna, Markus, Zaniya, & DeLaney; Paige; Levi; Isabella, Lola, & John Jr; Alex, Adelynn, & Jasmine; and Sybil. Also, Daniel’s brother, David (Barbara) Skaggs of Wichita, Kansas; as well as numerous cousins, nieces and nephews.

He is preceded in death by one daughter, Danna Lou (Kelly) Rende in November of 2000; his mother, Bernadine; his father, David; his sister, Barbara (Paul) Stewart; his in-laws, Floyd and Eveline Henton; and many aunts, uncles and other loved ones.

Daniel was known throughout his life, by the folks he knew and served as minister, as having a beautiful tenor voice, and preaching and leading bible studies with fervor.

He was also noted as a wonderful pianist, being particularly talented with RagTime music, and being a real gadget enthusiast.

He built computers when they were still generally limited to college campuses, he repaired TV’s when they still had tubes, was at times a mail carrier, an electrician, a lineman for the telephone company and was a professional photographer for many years with Lutrica, running Dan’s Family Photography in Hancock.

He worked for 19 years at the Houghton County Medical Care facility as a CNA, putting his Naval training to work while also serving as the minister at the Church of Christ in Hancock. He was always in his heart, a missionary first, and whatever other job he had, second.

In later years he was known for establishing the Funeral Consumers Alliance in Houghton County, and advocating Green Cemeteries and individual choice in matters pertaining to early planning for final arrangements.

Through all of this though, his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren may remember him best for his love of singing hymns together with his family and church brethren, the snow-thrower that always broke down in the worst blizzard of every winter, his root beer floats, fondness for Snickers bars, and most especially for reading “T’was the Night Before Christmas” on Christmas Eve night, either in the home, over phone lines, and even live streamed over Facebook for the whole family to enjoy.

Daniel, as husband, father, brother-in-law, grandfather, great-grandfather, uncle, friend, and minister, will be sorely missed by those who knew and loved him best. Heaven is the richer for his arrival there with his Savior, Jesus Christ, and the loved ones who went on before him.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, September 29, 2018, at the Wasatch Church of Christ, 145 West 800 North, Clearfield, Utah.

Services under the direction of Leavitt’s Mortuary.