Larry Dale Skipton passed away in his home Sunday, July 8, 2012, of leukemia at age 86. He was born Dec. 30, 1925, to Hattie and Ola Skipton in Des Moines, Iowa.

Larry “Skip” graduated from Chariton, Iowa, high school in 1944, served in the military and earned a bachelor’s degree in fine arts at Drake University in Des Moines in 1950, plus another year in graduate school. He was the art supervisor in Grinnell, Iowa, public schools for two years before moving to Newton, Iowa, to join the Maytag Company as a drafter for nine years. A move was made in 1961 to La Crosse, Wis., where he worked for Trane Company for 25 years as a Design Drafter.

He served in the 99th Army Division during World War II in various theaters from 1944 to 1946 earning two Purple Hearts before his discharge on Feb. 14, 1946.