Wendell and Hilde Skelley Riverside Park Remembrance
The Skelley children want to honor their parents for living lives full of kindness, generosity and hard work.
Wendell enlisted in the U.S. Army right after his 1949 high school graduation and was sent to Germany. Hilde and her family had lost their home in East Germany when they had to flee the approaching Russian Army. After the war Hilde went to school and trained as a children’s nurse. Wendell was serving as a young Sergeant in Frankfurt and across the street from his quarters, Hilde was working as a governess. It was love at first sight and they were married October 25, 1952 in Frankfurt Germany.
Wendell and Hilde moved to Pennsylvania, where he enrolled in college and by the time he graduated from Penn State, four of their ten children were born. His first job in 1957, was as an accountant with Anchor Hocking and in 1962 he was hired as Plant Comptroller for Universal Cyclops Steel in Coshocton. All ten of their children graduated from Coshocton High School and a couple live in the area today.
Wendell died suddenly in 1971 at age 40, leaving Hilde with the daunting task of raising their ten children. She was on her own and she wasn’t yet a citizen. Hilde went to work in the county auditor’s office and after retiring, she became a longtime volunteer at the local hospital. Needless to say, she was a remarkable woman. Anyone that knew her had tremendous respect for all of her accomplishments. Hilde proudly became a U.S. Citizen on May 5, 1986. She continued to live in Coshocton for the rest of her life. At the time of her passing in 2018, at age 89 Hilde had 25 grandchildren and 21 great grandchildren and as of this dedication, there are 37 great grandchildren!