Lillian R. (Mork) Skaar

Lillian Rosemarie Skaar arrived in Heaven on Friday, September 11, 2020.

Lillian was born on July 30, 1927 and raised near Wrigley Field in Chicago, the youngest of five children. Her parents, Andreas and Katharina (Gunnesch) Mork, were recent immigrants from Austria. Their family was poor in money, but they were very rich in love, kindness, and wholesomeness, all qualities that were very deeply embedded in Lillian’s soul.

After graduating from Lakeview High School in Chicago, Lillian went to work as a secretary at National Cylinder Gas Company on Michigan Avenue. It was there that she met a young accountant from DeKalb, Loren Skaar, who had recently been discharged from the Army after serving in the Pacific theater in WWII. They fell in love, married in 1951, and lived happily ever after. They bought a home and moved to Geneva in the early 1950s, where they raised their family of four sons and one daughter. Lillian and Loren spent the rest of their lives, and died, in that special, loving family home.

Lillian was a homemaker, taking care of her husband and five children until the children were grown. She then learned to drive and went to work as an executive secretary for several of Geneva’s mayors, a job which she loved until her retirement in 1988. Lillian’s retirement was announced in a local newspaper with a banner headline that proclaimed her “The Nicest Person on the Planet!!!” The people who had the pleasure of knowing Lillian, including dozens of her children’s friends who gravitated to the Skaar household, would enthusiastically agree with that description.

Lillian was welcomed into Heaven by her beloved husband Loren, who passed away in 2008, along with her parents, her siblings William, John, Katherine, and Ann, and her daughter-in-law Vonne.

She will be watching over her five children Tim (Doreen) of Tipler, Wisconsin, Jim (Mary), Tom, Dave (Deb), and Katy all of Geneva; her grandchildren David (Nicol), Samantha (Roger), Matt (Krystle), and Laura (Lauren); her great-grandchildren Lillian, Kylie, and Ryan; her step-grandchildren and step-great-grandchildren Heather, Kelsie, Lauren, Morgan, Mitchell, McKenna, and Maddie; and many nieces, nephews, and treasured relatives and friends.

The Mayor has ordered that the Geneva flag at City Hall be lowered to half-staff in honor of Lillian’s positive impact on our community and the many lives and hearts she touched.

A visitation for Lillian will be held at Malone Funeral Home, 324 E. State Street (Route 38), Geneva on Friday, September 18, 2020 from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Due to the current health care restrictions involving Covid-19 and social distancing, we are limited to a gathering of 50 people at a time, standards of occupancy will be upheld. To attend please be prepared to wear a mask and/or wait if occupancy standards need to be met before entering. 

A private service will be held for the family on Saturday at 10:30 am.  To view the live streamed service please click on the following link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86279196065

Lillian’s favorite charity was the Foundation Fighting Blindness at https://donate.fightingblindness.org/webdonation, but an equally special way to remember Lillian’s life would be to follow her example and hug your family members tight, because they are precious.

For information 630-232-8233 or www.malonefh.com.

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