Michael Skinner, age 60, died on Saturday April 20th after a long battle with advanced stage liver disease.

Mr. Skinner is survived by a wife, Valerie and four children: Jacob Skinner, Scott Skinner, Shannon Grove Nadenbausch and Jackie Grove Warblington. He also leaves behind two grandchildren, Jake Skinner Jr. and Margaret Warblington.

Mike is a veteran of the Gulf War, where he earned several medals, including the Silver Star and a Civil Action Unit Citation. He grew up in Sierra Vista, the only son of Nancy and Lee Skinner. As a child, he learned to work on cars from his father, who ran the local mechanic's shop. As he grew older, he began to take over many of the shops duties from his father, whose deteriorating health had left him in charge of the family business. After the death of his father at the young age of 52, Mike took over the auto shop full time where he expanded the business to include several locations. His success can be directly attributed to his work ethic and his natural mechanical ability. His attention to detail was legendary. He took pride in the fact that he always left his customers satisfied. Mike retired from the business three years ago to pursue his other passion, fishing.

He served three years with distinction as a Marine in Operation Desert Shield. He was wounded during the evacuation of the Embassy, and received other commendations for his dedication and bravery. The discipline and patriotism he learned in the Marines never left him, as friends and family will attest.

A memorial will be offered for immediate family this Wednesday at 3pm at the Brown Lewis residence. He will be interred at National Memorial Cemetery in Phoenix on Thursday at 10am.