David A. Skumatz

David “Dave” Allen Skumatz, 90, of Oshkosh, WI, died Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023, at Park View Health Center in Oshkosh.

Dave was born Sept. 6, 1933, in St. Cloud, MN, to Jerome and Agnes (Young) Skumautz. He was one of seven siblings born during the Great Depression.

Dave attended Tech High School in St Cloud, MN and later received his Bachelors degree from Western Illinois University in Macomb, IL. He enlisted in the United States Air Force during the Korean War. The most memorable of his four years in the US Air Force was serving as Loadmaster on a C-124 aircraft and was stationed at Thule Air Base on Greenland, the northernmost airbase of the U.S. Department of Defense. Dave loved learning survival skills required for living in this challenging environment and enjoyed teaching those skills to other airmen. He had many good stories about living on this remote outpost 750 miles north of the Arctic Circle and loved to “talk” airplanes.

Dave spent his civilian life in the construction business. His specialty was the manufacture and installation of laminated wood beams for large structures. He was employed by Unit Structures in Peshtigo, WI, as an estimator and later promoted to purchasing coordinator for Unit Structures construction projects in the New York metropolitan area. Dave went on to work for Koppers Co. in New York, Weyerhaeuser in Washington state and Wick Buildings in Wisconsin. During the 1990s, Dave was president and owner of Construction Consulting of the Midwest, Inc.

Dave loved music, baseball, fishing, reading, and watching the Discovery Channel. He was a student of architecture and design. He always kept a pen or drafting pencil in his sport coat. It seemed he never went out to eat without designing something on his napkin. Dave was a very exacting individual. He could distinguish unusual pieces of wood in furniture and art by their look and feel. Dave was a great conversationalist. He could talk to just about anyone about anything.

Dave is survived by his wife of 40 years, Jane Klug and daughters Lisa Skumatz (Jim), Silverthorne,CO; Leslie Biersack (Garey) Oconomowoc, WI, Heidi Heimgartner (Paul), Blooming Prairie, MN; and Heather Skumatz (Randy) of Evansville, WI.

He is also survived by siblings Patricia Honer, St. Cloud, MN, and Phil (Deb) Skumautz, Minneapolis, MN; six grandchildren: Ashlie (Ben) Dowdell, Pardeeville, WI; Greg Biersack (Julie), Burnsville, MN; Luke and Jonathan Heimgartner, Blooming Prairie, MN; Alden and Preston Sthokal, Evansville, WI.; and five great-grandchildren; several nieces and nephews, relatives, and friends.

Dave was preceded in death by his parents and siblings Jim Skumautz, Janice Rau, Carol Pfannenstein, and Sandy Rau.

Services will be held Monday, Nov 20, 2023, at Konrad-Behlman Funeral Home, 100 Lake Pointe Drive, Oshkosh. Visitation begins at 11:00 am with Memorial service to follow at 12:00 noon.

The family would like to thank the wonderful caregivers at Park View Health Center for their sensitivity and loving care.

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Memorials can be sent to St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church on Main St, Oshkosh, or Park View Health Center, Oshkosh.