Harold "Skip" Wilcox

Dr. Harold "Skip" Wilcox Jan 17, 1954 to Jan 03, 2013 Born in Fulton, NY to Ralph and Helen Wilcox, Skip had a deep passion for life that always kept him a kid at heart and an entertainer to all those around him. He had a strong faith in God and science. Growing up in a house on the Oswego River, Skip developed a fondness and respect for the water. He loved swimming, boating, waterskiing, fishing, and tubing down the Poudre. He was fond of telling others of his adventures, including buying an inflatable kayak for his wife, and then promptly getting thrown out of it in the rapids on their first trip; or making a small trout catch sound like bringing in a marlin; or what fascinating things he would do with a fliver boat. Since early childhood, Skip loved science and inventions. One of his early experiments involved making rocket fuel out of his mother's perfume. He passed on his passion of science to his daughter. The two of them would try to improve on rubber-band airplane designs, and build rockets from scratch. Harold also proudly served as the president of the Rocky Mountain Inventors Association for two terms. His playfulness extended into every other aspect of his life. He fed off the energy of children, and encouraged them to dream bigger. He would often be the instigator of neighborhood snowball or mud fights. On a sledding trip once, he convinced all the kids to help pitch in and build a large ramp to jump the toboggan off of. With great confidence, everyone climbed aboard, and shortly after hitting the ramp, kids, scarves, and gloves were scattered across the hill side, but great fun was had by all. Skip could entertain the adults just as easily. Whether he was playing the guitar or ukulele, riding a unicycle, playing pranks, throwing an enormous party, or flying model helicopters; amusement was sure to be had by all. He was notorious for his story-telling. Few conversations could be had without an antidote about his world travels, his time in the Army, or simply a lesson on grammar or the origin of a phrase. He could even jibber-jabber about jibber-jabber. He also loved to travel, see the world, and meet new people. He would proudly wear a jacket adorned with patches from the numerous countries and places he visited. Though interested in architecture and history, he was most fond of learning about the culture by talking to those who lived there. Even if he couldn't speak the language, he could easily make new friends and communicate through gestures. He learned to say "Cheers" in over a dozen languages, and even got his family invited to a stranger's wedding in India. Skip described his career path as "colorful." After graduating from Fulton High School, he briefly attended Oswego University, but decided it wasn't right for him at the time. He then worked at Harden's, making furniture until he joined the Army in 1974, where he was a Helicopter Mechanic and NBC NCO, and among other recognitions, received the Army Commendation Medal. It was his time in the Army that would change his life forever. While stationed in Nürnberg, Germany, he met a young woman, Gerda, on the steps of the Burg one afternoon while playing his guitar. She became his loving wife through thick and thin. Not only did he fall in love with Gerda, but he fell in love with Germany, which he considered his second home and where they had their daughter, Esther, in 1977. Skip had a deep interest in languages, how they are learned, interpreted, and change over time. After being discharged from the Army, he was determined to finish his college education, and did so by obtaining two bachelor's degrees from Colorado State University, and a Master's and a Doctorate from the University of Colorado, Boulder. He found his vocation by sharing his knowledge of the English language with others through teaching English as a Second Language. This path led him to jobs in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, which allowed him to travel to places like Greece, Egypt, Syria, and India. In September of 2011, he found his dream job at the University of Akron instructing Saudi teachers at the Institute of Polymer Science. In March of 2012, what was to be a ski vacation, ended with a diagnosis of Lymphoma. After a long and determined fight to beat the disease, he passed away peacefully last Thursday. Skip wanted to share a message with everyone: Give something of yourself to others; teach them something; and learn something new from them. okbye His wife, Gerda, and daughter, Esther, wish to extend their gratitude: to the Oncology Nurses at Poudre Valley Hospital for their patience and acceptance, to Dr. Moore for his care and exploring every option, to his sister, Peg, for donating her bone marrow, to our friends and neighbors for your support, help, and for always being there: Paula, Halls, Phoebe, Jean, Steve, Ron and Mary; and to Tom for being his "only" friend all these years. A celebration of his life will be held at St. John's Lutheran Church, 305 East Elizabeth at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 12, 2013. Friends may send condolences to the family at bohlenderfuneralchapel.com.

Tributes

Harold "Skip" Wilcox

January 17, 1954 - January 3, 2013