Wilbur Alvin Skroh Montpelier, Idaho Obituary

Wilbur Alvin Skroh

<p>Due to natural causes complicated by the loss of his beloved Eleanor, Wilbur Alvin Skroh departed this worldly life to join our Heavenly Father, along with the love of his life, in Heaven.&nbsp; He passed away at home in Montpelier, Idaho, surrounded by his loving children and their spouses.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>His three children (Sharon, Ron, and Karen), four grandchildren (Kira, Nolan, Steven and wife Michelle, and Matt and wife Rachel), and two great grandchildren (Adalyn and Ethan) survive Wilbur.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Wilbur was born in Cainseville, Missouri and raised on a small farm near Bethany, Missouri. After his high school graduation from Cainesville High School, he moved to San Diego, California, to work for Consolidated Aircraft Corporation building military aircraft.&nbsp; In 1942, he was drafted into the Army Air Corp and proudly served his country in the World War II European Theater as a gunner/flight engineer in both B-17 and B-26 bombers.&nbsp; During his service, he was awarded the Army&rsquo;s Air Medal and ribbon, nine Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters, the European-Northern France and Germany-Campaign Ribbon Medal with a Bronze Star Device, and the Army Good Conduct Medal and Ribbon.&nbsp; He was honorably discharged in May of 1945.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>For a few years, Wilbur toured the mid-west, finding employment during farming and harvesting operations.&nbsp; He became interested in working as an electrical lineman and sought opportunities to learn the trade while in Kansas.&nbsp; He enjoyed roller skating and visited the local rink while in WaKeeney, Kansas. It was there that he met his sweetheart and future wife, Eleanor.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>With greater job opportunities in Idaho with the Atomic Energy Commission, now known as the Idaho National Laboratory near Arco, Wilbur came to Idaho with Eleanor&#39;s uncle. Wilbur completed his electrical lineman apprenticeship and became a journeyman lineman. Eleanor later moved to Pocatello, Idaho, with the rest of her uncle&#39;s family.&nbsp; Wilbur and Eleanor were married at St. Anthony&#39;s Roman Catholic Church on July 19, 1952.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>While being employed with electrical construction projects, they lived in many cities in southeastern Idaho, including Atomic City, Blackfoot, Soda Springs, Pocatello, Montpelier, and Idaho Falls. In 1953, Sharon, their first daughter was born.&nbsp; Their son, Ron, joined the family in 1957.&nbsp; Four years later in 1961, Karen was born.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Wilbur accepted a permanent position as an electrical lineman in 1961 with Utah Power and Light, in Montpelier, which they called home ever since. Wilbur retired in 1987, and as a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and Local Union 57, he received his Seventy Year Service Award and pin in June, 2021.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Through the years, the family enjoyed time together while hunting, camping, and fishing in the nearby Caribou National Forest.&nbsp; As a family, they all became involved with horses and horse riding, and the three kids participated in the Horse 4-H program in Bear Lake County.&nbsp; Wilbur was a great &ldquo;horse dad,&rdquo; ensuring that the kids learned the responsibilities of owning and riding horses.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>As a young boy growing up in Missouri, Wilbur was a firearms, hunting, and fishing enthusiast. These activities were passed to the rest of the family.&nbsp; Everyone was successful as big game hunters, bird hunters, and fisher persons.&nbsp; In the recent past, Wilbur traveled to Challis, Idaho, to hunt elk with his daughter, Sharon and her husband, Rob. Many ranchers in southeastern Idaho appreciated Wilbur&rsquo;s population control of ground squirrels each spring.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Wilbur and Ron spent thousands of hours in the field pursuing almost every legally available game animal and bird. Predators and paper targets were not immune from their quest. The two were always working on projects around the &ldquo;ranch&rdquo; to keep the place running. Wilbur and Ron&rsquo;s wife, Maxine, were always trying to top the other with pranks and good old harassment. The grandchildren, Kira and Nolan, adored their grandfather due to his extensive knowledge and ability to fix about anything, referring to him as the &ldquo;Beast.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Wilbur and Eleanor would make an annual trek to South Dakota to visit Karen and Mark. Wilbur enjoyed many hours on the grasslands hunting prairie dogs with his two grandsons, Steve and Matt, and son-in-law Mark.&nbsp;&nbsp; He would crawl on the ground with all of them.&nbsp; The grandkids and great granddaughter enjoyed his company. The kids saw Wilbur as their hero and great role model.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Wilbur refused to adopt a sedentary life after retirement. He continued to exercise daily with bike riding or working out on exercise equipment, and diligently maintained their yard and property, where Wilbur was often observed mowing the lawn on his riding mower on a weekly schedule until his recent decline in health.&nbsp; His morning chores included feeding the horse, along with feeding the resident squirrels and wild birds of all species that visited their place season long.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Wilbur was an active member of the Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Montpelier.&nbsp; He was respected and admired by the Bear Lake community and friends near and far, and his gentle nature and friendship will be greatly missed.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>For those family and friends attending the Rosary, Viewing, and or Holy Mass funeral services, the family is requesting that attendees refrain from wearing perfumes or other aromatic substances because of extreme sensitivities of family members.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>
April 30, 1924 - October 11, 202104/30/192410/11/2021
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Obituary

Due to natural causes complicated by the loss of his beloved Eleanor, Wilbur Alvin Skroh departed this worldly life to join our Heavenly Father, along with the love of his life, in Heaven.  He passed away at home in Montpelier, Idaho, surrounded by his loving children and their spouses.

 

His three children (Sharon, Ron, and Karen), four grandchildren (Kira, Nolan, Steven and wife Michelle, and Matt and wife Rachel), and two great grandchildren (Adalyn and Ethan) survive Wilbur.

 

Wilbur was born in Cainseville, Missouri and raised on a small farm near Bethany, Missouri. After his high school graduation from Cainesville High School, he moved to San Diego, California, to work for Consolidated Aircraft Corporation building military aircraft.  In 1942, he was drafted into the Army Air Corp and proudly served his country in the World War II European Theater as a gunner/flight engineer in both B-17 and B-26 bombers.  During his service, he was awarded the Army’s Air Medal and ribbon, nine Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters, the European-Northern France and Germany-Campaign Ribbon Medal with a Bronze Star Device, and the Army Good Conduct Medal and Ribbon.  He was honorably discharged in May of 1945.

 

For a few years, Wilbur toured the mid-west, finding employment during farming and harvesting operations.  He became interested in working as an electrical lineman and sought opportunities to learn the trade while in Kansas.  He enjoyed roller skating and visited the local rink while in WaKeeney, Kansas. It was there that he met his sweetheart and future wife, Eleanor.

 

With greater job opportunities in Idaho with the Atomic Energy Commission, now known as the Idaho National Laboratory near Arco, Wilbur came to Idaho with Eleanor's uncle. Wilbur completed his electrical lineman apprenticeship and became a journeyman lineman. Eleanor later moved to Pocatello, Idaho, with the rest of her uncle's family.  Wilbur and Eleanor were married at St. Anthony's Roman Catholic Church on July 19, 1952.

 

While being employed with electrical construction projects, they lived in many cities in southeastern Idaho, including Atomic City, Blackfoot, Soda Springs, Pocatello, Montpelier, and Idaho Falls. In 1953, Sharon, their first daughter was born.  Their son, Ron, joined the family in 1957.  Four years later in 1961, Karen was born.

 

Wilbur accepted a permanent position as an electrical lineman in 1961 with Utah Power and Light, in Montpelier, which they called home ever since. Wilbur retired in 1987, and as a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and Local Union 57, he received his Seventy Year Service Award and pin in June, 2021.

 

Through the years, the family enjoyed time together while hunting, camping, and fishing in the nearby Caribou National Forest.  As a family, they all became involved with horses and horse riding, and the three kids participated in the Horse 4-H program in Bear Lake County.  Wilbur was a great “horse dad,” ensuring that the kids learned the responsibilities of owning and riding horses.

 

As a young boy growing up in Missouri, Wilbur was a firearms, hunting, and fishing enthusiast. These activities were passed to the rest of the family.  Everyone was successful as big game hunters, bird hunters, and fisher persons.  In the recent past, Wilbur traveled to Challis, Idaho, to hunt elk with his daughter, Sharon and her husband, Rob. Many ranchers in southeastern Idaho appreciated Wilbur’s population control of ground squirrels each spring.

 

Wilbur and Ron spent thousands of hours in the field pursuing almost every legally available game animal and bird. Predators and paper targets were not immune from their quest. The two were always working on projects around the “ranch” to keep the place running. Wilbur and Ron’s wife, Maxine, were always trying to top the other with pranks and good old harassment. The grandchildren, Kira and Nolan, adored their grandfather due to his extensive knowledge and ability to fix about anything, referring to him as the “Beast.

 

Wilbur and Eleanor would make an annual trek to South Dakota to visit Karen and Mark. Wilbur enjoyed many hours on the grasslands hunting prairie dogs with his two grandsons, Steve and Matt, and son-in-law Mark.   He would crawl on the ground with all of them.  The grandkids and great granddaughter enjoyed his company. The kids saw Wilbur as their hero and great role model. 

 

Wilbur refused to adopt a sedentary life after retirement. He continued to exercise daily with bike riding or working out on exercise equipment, and diligently maintained their yard and property, where Wilbur was often observed mowing the lawn on his riding mower on a weekly schedule until his recent decline in health.  His morning chores included feeding the horse, along with feeding the resident squirrels and wild birds of all species that visited their place season long.

 

Wilbur was an active member of the Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Montpelier.  He was respected and admired by the Bear Lake community and friends near and far, and his gentle nature and friendship will be greatly missed.

 

For those family and friends attending the Rosary, Viewing, and or Holy Mass funeral services, the family is requesting that attendees refrain from wearing perfumes or other aromatic substances because of extreme sensitivities of family members. 

 

 

 

 

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Events

Oct
13
Rosary
Wednesday, October 13 2021
05:30 PM
Rowen
270 8th st
Montpelier, ID 83254
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Oct
14
Holy Mass Funeral Service
Thursday, October 14 2021
11:00 AM
Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church
270 N. 8th Street
Montpelier, ID 83254
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