John G. Skelton, 74, construction and city worker
He was an Army combat paratrooper in Vietnam
WHEN YOU'VE lived in the same neighborhood for more than 50 years, you're bound to have had a strong impact.
John G. Skelton was something of a legend in the neighborhood around 29th Street and Lehigh Avenue, North Philadelphia, a familiar presence on the streets where he was always ready with a friendly greeting and big hello.
John saw a couple of generations grow up there. He saw people come and go, while he stayed put. He saw inevitable changes, but basically the community remained the same close-knit home to dedicated, hardworking people.
John's popularity also might have had something to do with the fact that he was a caring, helpful, friendly guy with a wicked sense of humor.
"He was very comical," said his daughter Denise Oetzel. "Everybody in the neighborhood knew him."
John Skelton, who worked in home rehabilitation and repair for a time, and retired from the Sanitation Division of the Philadelphia Streets Department, a combat paratrooper in the Vietnam War, and a devoted family man, died Sept. 30 of heart failure at age 74.
He was born in Anderson, S.C., to James and Bernice Skelton. He received his basic education there, and moved to Philadelphia as a young man.
John was in the Army from 1958 to 1965. In Vietnam, he served in the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, part of the 82nd Airborne Division.
Like a lot of combat veterans, John was reluctant to talk about his experiences. All he would say was that he was a "sharpshooter, was shot a few times, and was always jumping out of airplanes," his daughter said.
After Vietnam, he served in Germany before his discharge.
After leaving the Army, John worked in his father's construction business, rehabbing and repairing houses. He was skilled with tools and enjoyed the work, his daughter said.
"He was a hardworking man," she said.
He retired from the city in 2006.
His first marriage to Estelle Skelton ended in divorce and he married Fannie Yvette Huling in 1972.
Besides his wife and daughter, he is survived by three sons, Leonard Johnson, David Johnson and John L. Skelton; two other daughters, Regina King and April Johnson; two sisters, Virginia Ward and Bernice Benity, and 10 grandchildren.
Services: 11 a.m. Friday at Love Zion Baptist Church, 2521 N. 23rd St. Friends may call at 10 a.m. Burial will be at Washington Crossing National Cemetery in Newtown, Pa.