On July 7, 2021 our father, Joseph Skordinski, passed away into God’s graces after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. His smiling face was so hard to say goodbye to and he will be greatly missed by all who knew him. A warrior, he was 74 years old and fought as hard as he could to keep living his best life. “Carpe Diem!”was a frequent saying of his. He’d get up early to fix anything that needed fixing, yard work, get the best selection at garage sales, and buy the lunch specials in restaurants. “Gotta beat the traffic!” He was a true outdoorsman and hated to be “cooped up inside”. Joseph loved to travel, especially scenic road trips and cruises. He loved nature - mountains, wildlife, forests and beaches. He enjoyed fishing and hunting, with his sons and friends. He loved playing music, listening to music, live entertainment, especially summertime outdoor concerts and winter Christmas concerts in church. When he was younger he played saxophone and sang in a wedding band. He taught his skills of automotive repair, wood working and carpentry in the public schools of Jersey City, NJ. He loved to fix up anything and everything - to get it working (“put a little WD on it!”) and to build with wood. He built piggy banks, figurines, cabinets, grandfather clocks and even the deck and addition on his house. Joseph loved getting a great bargain (or better yet, free) at flea markets and garage sales - antiques, paintings, tools, furniture and anything he could tinker with - including an extensive collection of cars, slot machines, ride on lawn mowers, clocks and chainsaws. He would brag about putting “300,000 miles” on his cars he drove and kept running for decades. We traveled all over the USA with him, summers spent in Bartonville, TX to visit his mother and sister and her family, and Hollywood Beach, FL for spring break (of course with a stop at South of the Border to buy fireworks!)  “Road-trip”! - he would visit anywhere that had friends or family, especially where his children lived through the years Texas (of course!) Arizona, Alabama, California, Colorado, Maryland, Florida, Puerto Rico and London, England. He liked to try his luck in Atlantic City, Las Vegas and with scratch off lottery tickets. Joseph loved warm weather, sunshine and hated cold or rainy weather. He loved being “by the water”, lakes, oceans, beaches, rivers,  even just a swimming pool. He loved “oldies” music  from 50s, 60s, 70s and especially The Bee Gees. He got a kick out of Indiana Jones, National Lampoon and Jaws movies and we watched them together over and over again. On chilly nights he’d love to “get a fire going” to warm up the house and sit by it to relax.

Joe loved to dance the night away, go on beach walks, attend concerts, hikes and sail the open sea on cruise ships to tropical destinations with his wife of 8 years, Christina, whom he loved dearly. 

Joseph cherished his 6 children (with whom he shared with his ex-wife Barbara Tobin) and his heart was forever broken after the passing of their son Joey, and their daughter Nancy.  Our childhood memories include bike rides through the Great Swamp, walks through the Environmental Education Center to feed ducks and to look at the beautiful birds at The Raptor Trust.  We went to Williamsburg and he taught us history. Keansburg on the carnival rides. Ocean City to Nigara Falls to Mount Rushmore. He took us to Jockey Hollow in the winter to go”sleigh-riding”. He always  made sure to focus on the importance of eduction for us, his children, who are all college graduates.

Joseph adored his 9 grand-children. He loved to attend their birthday

parties, concerts in school, dance recitals and sports games. He took them fishing, to auction houses, garage sales, hikes at Bear Mountain, beach days at Sandy Hook and exploring Round Valley Reservoir, just like he did with us. He always called to thank us “for the beautiful card”, he loved his greeting cards and kept every single one. He even thanked us in his final days “for all the beautiful cards” and we recently found hundreds of them he kept in his dresser. He enjoyed his mother’s sauerkraut  pierogies, Wendy’s Frosties, honeybell oranges, New York cheesecake, coconut macaroons, good Chinese food, steaks at Arthur’s Steakhouse and ice cream at Polar Cub. 

Joseph loved to teach others about all he knew! He would always lend a helping hand to anyone who needed it, never said “no “- whether the request was a 4:00am drive to the airport or fixing a toilet paper holder. He was always looking out for us, worried about us and wanted what was best  for us. We will miss his advice, laughter and big bear hugs. He welcomed any and all into his home and never turned down an invitation to a BBQ, party, holiday dinner, or beach house stay. Always happy to say “well, hello there!”when you dropped in or called . He kept a positive attitude and never complained even when he was in pain, very sick or undergoing another procedure or surgery. It was a dream of his “to own a house on the water” but that sadly wasn’t meant to be. Joseph truly loved his home in Warren, all the treasures inside and the natural forest land surrounding it and wouldn’t trade it for the world. 

One of the phrases he used to say all the time was “my cup runneth over” and it was one of the last words he said to me with a smile.  

Daylight, I must wait for the sunrise

I must think of a new life

And I mustn't give in

When the dawn comes, tonight will be a memory too

And a new day will begin

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