njlawrence

Jim's obituary appeared in todays Arizona Republic.


Skane, James Kevin recently of Sun City, Arizona passed away peacefully on June 24, 2009 at the VA Hospital in Phoenix at the age of 57. Jim was born in Rockville Center, NY but lived most of his young life overseas in South America, Africa, and Ireland, and returned to the U.S. to attend Notre Dame University. He served in the Marine Corps where an accident in 1974 left him quadriplegic, moved to Arizona in 1976, and completed his bachelor's degree in accounting and finance at Arizona State University. Jim, a tremendous sports fan, was particularly devoted to the Arizona Cardinals and he began the website Arizona Sports Fans Network (ASFN) where he was able to interact with other sports fans. He was loved for his honest, forthright character and his quiet generosity, admired for his keen intellect, and will be greatly missed as someone who never felt sorry for himself though faced with the type of adversity that would make cowards of many of us. He was preceded in death by his father, James F., and his brother, Dennis. He is survived by his wife, Melanie, his mother Laura, brothers Patrick, Michael, and Daniel, and sisters Kathleen (Digney), Laura (Stell), Margaret (Woodmansee), and Elizabeth. Services will be held on Thursday July 2, 2009 and include a Mass at Our Lady of Joy Catholic Church in Carefree at 10:30AM to be followed by military funeral honors at National Memorial Cemetery on the corner of Cave Creek and Pinnacle Peak Roads at 12:30PM. For those attending the services, please do not hesitate to dress casually. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Freedom Service Dogs (freedomservicedogs.org or 2000 W. Union Ave., Englewood, CO 80110) which has partnered with the VA to train rescued shelter dogs to provide assistance to veterans. Vaya con Dios, mon ami.

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/azc...&pid=129172504

Mulli

Perfect. RIP Brother.

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MigratingOsprey

Very nice.

Is there a paypal or something setup where we could gather a site donation to be made in his name to that charity?

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"Memories and drinks don't mix too well"

SeattleCard

40yearfan

The things that Jim accomplished in his few short years on this earth are truly amazing. Considering the cross he was given to bear, it only makes those accomplishments even more remarkable. This world is sadly lacking people of his caliber. He will be sorely missed.

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Old age isn't so bad when you consider the alternative.

njlawrence

Yes, the charity is affiliated with PayPal. Just go to the site mentioned in the obit and it will direct you to PayPal.

AZZenny

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"The power of the State looks real different when you're on the other side of the bayonet." Chris Hayes

az jam

Thanks for posting this, it's very nice.

cardsfanmd

Very well done.

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"Your job is not to talk in the media or have an opinion. It's your job to go out there and produce and do what you're asked to do. We play receiver. If it comes hard, we've got to catch it. If it comes soft, we've got to catch it. If it's high, we've got to catch it. If it's low, we've got to catch it. It's part of our job description. As long the ball's coming my way, you're never going to hear me complain."

-Larry Fitzgerald

Gambit

Very touching. Rest in peace, Skkorp

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"Regnabo, Regno, Regnavi, Sum sine regno..."

Red Dawn

My mother and father are buried at that cemetery, it's a beautiful place. There will be a few more Cardinal fans joining Jim, as my wife and I will be buried there when our time comes.

RIP Jim.

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RIP #40

AZ Native

He was the same age as me. I will be there to honor him. RIP

Mike Olbinski

I'm glad for the obituary, I'm sad I didn't know as much about his life as I should have. I also didn't realize he was so young...only 57.

Gonna miss you Jim.

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RedStorm

RIP Skkorp... You will me missed.

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Yeah, Stormy's probably on to something. - Rivercard

Sense MAKER!!!
Blasphemer!!!
Burn him!!!!

He speaks in tongues of logic and common sense, this troubles us and must be dealt with swiftly. - conraddobler

the Lieutenant

Man I didn't even know how he ended up in a wheel chair. Semper Fi brother. I was in the Seabees for a few years (living with Marines in North Carolina) and then I trained alongside their Herc pilots down in Pensacola and Corpus Christi. I am now imagining Jim as a mountain of a man in his early twenties - ripped, clean cut, and steely-eyed. If there is a heaven he's up there banging heads with all of his old devil-dog buddies and looking down on all of us with a smile on his face. it must have taken some incredible courage and strength of spirit to overcome his disability with the grace that Jim showed. Marines don't have to be on a battle field to be a hero..... Jim proved that.