Obituary of Charles Allan Skrinskus

Charles Allan Skrinskus, 67, of Palm Bay, FL (formerly of California and Chicago, IL), left this earthly plane on March 17, 2021. Chuck was born on September 22, 1953 in Chicago, IL to John Charles Skrinskus and Jeannie (Gritz) Skrinskus. The family moved to Round Lake, IL when he was quite young. He graduated from Round Lake High School in 1971. Idolizing his older brother, John, he followed in his footsteps and joined the Army in 1973 and was stationed in Colorado for about a year and a half. He spent his 21st Birthday with his sister, Jeanne's family and all he wanted was to go out for “a steak and a beer.” In Colorado, he was introduced to the fine art of stream fishing, hiking, backpacking, ice fishing and winter camping. After being honorably discharged in 1976, he moved to Florida to seek his fortune and to be in a warmer climate. Those outdoor winter activities were not for him!

He found a position with Harris Corporation; during his time there, he was on assignment in Iran during the Iranian Hostage Crisis in 1979. Fortunately he was NOT one of the hostages. Upon his return, he found employment in Miami with Bank of America. He was transferred to California where he spent the remainder of his career in IT supporting International Operations, accepting assignments in London, Los Angeles and San Francisco. He took early retirement in 2008 and moved back to Florida to care for his mother.

In the course of his life, his passions revolved around sports, travel/vacations, spending time with family and More sports! He participated in many golf and bowling competitions and tournaments through work and he enjoyed mountain biking with friends. He did quite a bit of vacationing with family and whichever brother-in-law he was with at the time, he'd say, “You are my favorite brother-in-law,” and laugh. We knew he loved them all.

Major League sports played a BIG part in his life. At times he'd have season tickets for the San Francisco 49ers to be part of the sports legacy of Joe Montana. Attending Major League Baseball at Oracle Stadium in San Francisco was always breathtaking and relaxing for him. One of the true highlights of his sports life was taking his 85-year-old mother and her two sisters to a Cubs game. During the golden years of the LA Lakers,

he scored seats and saw Magic, Shaquille and Kobe run the court. He attended numerous professional PGA tournaments; the most rewarding being Augusta. In retirement, sports were on TV on his Lanai 24/7. In keeping with his Chicago roots, he cheered on is original favorites, The Chicago Cubbies and Bears!

Chuck's friends will always remember him “as a very generous person,” “a kind man,” “a gentle soul,” “had a ready smile,” “easy to talk with,” “never met a stranger he didn't like,” “never backed away from life's challenges,” “took most things in stride,” “a good neighbor,” “touching many more lives than he could ever imagine” and “he's the Biggest Sports Fan of ALL TIME!”.

He is survived by his loving siblings, Claudia Forrester (Mick), Cynthia Ruiter (Dale), Jeanne Koschnitzki and John Skrinskus (Elaine) and his longtime friend, Carol Gale. He was the “favoritist,” “funnest” and “bestest” uncle to all of his nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his grandparents, his parents, a nephew and a brother-in-law.

A Celebration of Life will take place at a later date.

In lieu of flowers or donations, the family is asking for everyone whose life he touched to raise a toast on St. Patrick's Day—a beer, a root beer, a Shamrock shake—in remembrance of Chuck.