Obituaries
James G Skerke
September 3, 1932 - August 20, 2025
- Services
- Private
James Skerke, a resident of St. Charles, Illinois, passed away on Wednesday, August 20, 2025, at the age of 92.
Born on September 3, 1932, in Chicago, Illinois, James was the son of Gustav and Gertrude Skerke. He was a devoted husband to Alice Skerke for 52 years before her passing in July 2024.
James is survived by his stepsons, Jeffrey (Laura) VanGemert and Kenneth (Yolanda) VanGemert, and their children, Jack, Julia, Jeffrey, Stephanie, Haley, Kenneth Ill, and Matt Erlenbach Jr. and family. He also leaves behind his three children, Edward (Ellen) Skerke, Thomas (Ann) Skerke, and David (Nancy) Skerke, as well as his grandchildren, Hilary, Max (Megan), Matthew, and Lucy.
The family would like to extend their sincere gratitude to his friends Ray and Angie for their support and companionship.
Private services will be held at the family’s request.
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Haley VanGemert from Tecumseh, MI
"Grandpa, I just want to say I love you. I understand you passed away from a heart break. You were a fun guy when I did go to visit you guys. I will miss you a lot as well. You were an amazing grandpa, for the time you lasted it. Tell nana I said hi and I miss her."
Eric Migdal from Pompton Lakes, NJ
"He also leaves behind 3 other children, a son, Eric Migdal and 2 daughters, Linda Wilson and Christina Schramm Kasper. We send our condolences to the entire family. We were never able to meet James or get to know him but we do hope he can rest in peace."
Ray from St. Charles , IL
"Angie and I haven't gotten this close to any of our neighbors in the 30 years of living here. Angie truly loved Alice. They made each other laugh and had a deep respect for one another. I liked to watch for them to open the garage and sit outside. We would sit with them and shoot the breeze. As their needs changed, our compassion grew even deeper. I enjoyed driving him around and spending time telling each other stories about our lives. At 91 he was still cutting his grass with his old Craftsman mower and he even came across the street and cut mine a couple of times when I had had one surgery or another. He tried to be strong, but often broke down when talking about Alice. I believe when you loose your spouse at that age, you really do die from a broken heart. RIP my friend!"
Yolanda from Dandridge , TN
"Jim was my father-in-law. He always treated me with kindness and this is including my mother-in-law Alice. Both of them were so good to me. I’m very lucky that I had wonderful in-laws. I will miss all the conversations and the laughs that we had. RIP"