John Wesley Skillings was born on April 18, 1928

John Wesley Skillings was born on April 18, 1928, Springfield, Ohio to Anna Skillings and Byron E. Skillings. He died on April 22, 2022, at 8:28 AM. Visitation will be Friday April 29, 2022, from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM, and the funeral service will be held on Saturday April 30, 2022, at 4:00 PM, both at Trinity Presbyterian Church, Springfield, MO.

John was preceded in death by siblings Eugene Skillings, Leslie Skillings, Mary McClintock, and Phoebe Pyles. John married Jean Sinclair Skillings on August 21st, 1952.  They celebrated fifty years of marriage with family and friends in 2002. John was a graduate of Tarkio College, Pittsburgh-Xenia Theological Seminary. John was ordained in his home congregation, May 19, 1953. and had done additional studies at Toledo University and Graceland College, Lamoni, IA where he taught History of Christianity.

He retired December 1, 1996, last serving the First Presbyterian Church, Iola, KS. He served churches in several states in the Midwest including his native state of Ohio, plus Wisconsin, Kansas, Iowa, and Missouri. In addition to solo Pastor, he has served the church as a National Missionary, New Church Developer, Church Educator, Tent-Maker Pastor and as an Intentional Interim.

On January 1, 2018, John married Shirley Ashford, and they lived in Iola Kansas.

For ten years he was a member of John Calvin Presbytery’s Peacemaking Committee, six of those years he was the chair. He is the Moderator of the Mission Committee of John Calvin Presbytery. John has led workshops on all levels of the church such themes as: Peacemaking, Prayer, Care of the Earth, and Humor. In 1992 he prepared the Table of Prayers for Peacemaking Conference at Montreat, NC and Estes Park CO. In 1995 he was one of the 70 Workshop Leaders at the Peacemaking Jubilee on Long Island at Hofstra University. Since retirement he has preached at 40% of the congregations of Presbytery.

It has been said of him that he brought gifts of bridge building, storytelling, community organization and humor. People saw him as a free spirit, joyous with a poet’s heart who delights in laughter. He was a collector of children’s unmanipulated sayings and uncoerced responses. One of his major goals was to bring some laughter to the church. He loved doing “Humor Workshops”. All you needed to do to catch his ear is to tell him you have a child’s saying.

John was pledged to live the same regardless of vocation. His ministry emphasized civil rights, care of the earth, peacemaking and unconditional acceptance and love of one another. His parents were Ohio farm folk who taught him to love the land and who nurtured him in the faith and showed by their lives that all people are to be treated with respect and dignity. He said these roots are deep in him and it is something he never wanted to forget.

John is survived by wife Shirley Ashford, son Byron, and daughters Kirsten and Gretchen, and a myriad of grandchildren, great grandchildren and nieces and nephews.

In addition to a passion for the ministry, John had a lifelong passion for baseball, as a Detroit Tigers and Toledo Mudhens fan, then later a Chicago Cubs fan. He played church league softball and was still sliding into base at 77 years of age. He was also an avid Missouri State University Lady Bears basketball fan and attended as many games as possible. Arrangements and cremation are under the direction of Cremations of the Ozarks. To leave an online condolence, please visit www.cremationsoftheozarks.com.