William J. Skladany

William Joseph Skladany (Bill) of Stoneham, passed away on Thursday, May 14, 2015, and leaves behind his beloved wife, Ann Daly Skladany of Stoneham (originally of Brighton), his son Evan Skladany, daughter-in-law Rachel Bello, and grandson Erik Skladany, all of Brooklyn, NY. Bill was born in 1931 in Cleveland, OH to Slovakian parents, Andrew Skladany and Veronica Rivicki. He was one of seven children, all of Ohio: Margaret, Steven, Albert and MaryAnn (all deceased); and Veronica Sekerak and Paul Skladany (his two living siblings). He also leaves many nieces and nephews in Ohio, North Carolina and Massachusetts.

Bill entered the Navy in 1951 and served four years in the Mediterranean and in Bainbridge, MD. He graduated from Ohio State, and later earned a Master's Degree in education from Boston University. He taught elementary school first in Ohio, then on an American Air Force Base in Tokyo, Japan (where he met his wife, Ann), and completed a trip around the world before moving to Massachusetts. He worked in Bedford before spending the remainder of his career in the Andover Public Schools, first at South Elementary and later at Doherty Middle School, from where he retired in 1992. Bill and his family spent 1988-89 living in Thailand, working for the International School Bangkok, and traveling throughout Southeast Asia. Bill was an enthusiastic practitioner of the Socratic Method of teaching, emphasizing discussion and the questioning of accepted ideas.

Bill's interests included acting while a student at Ohio State, and later with the Chagrin Valley and Karamu Community Theaters in Ohio. He studied at the Cleveland Institute of Art, made jewelry, and painted water colors throughout his life, many of which proudly hang in the homes of friends and family. A lover of ideas, he led Great Books discussion groups and was known for engaging friends, family, and even strangers in often sudden, searching conversations about the nature of life and art. He was an avid golfer, tennis player, jogger, and tomato gardener, as well as an ambitious home cook who co-founded a gourmet club with his wife. Further travels took him and his family across the United States, Mexico, and France, and he and Ann spent several winters in San Miguel del Allende, Mexico during their retirement.

His legacy is one of generosity of spirit, loving kindness, and spontaneity, combined with a whole-hearted appreciation of life's finer things. He lived remarkably free of envy or anxiety, and inspired a similar outlook in those whose lives he touched.

Special thanks to Ascend Hospice, particularly Rose Carrigan, who took exceptional care of both Bill and Ann.

A Funeral Service Celebrating Bill's life will be held on Sunday, May 24, 2015 at 3:00pm in the Barile Family Funeral Home, 482 Main St. (RT 28), STONEHAM. Visitation with the family will be held prior to the service from 1-3:00pm in the funeral home. Parking attendants and elevator are available.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you consider making a donation in Bill's memory to the National Parkinson Foundation, Gift Processing Center, PO Box 5018, Hagerstown, MD 21741-5018.