John David "Ski" Machesky

HURLEY, Wis. - John David "Ski" Machesky, of Gile, has entered into eternal life.

There will be a veteran's memorial service for him in Hurley, at the St. Mary's Cemetery, in the veterans' section on Saturday, Aug. 4, at 11 a.m. Friends and neighbors are invited.

He was preceded in death by his son, John Jr .; his first wife, Ruth Arrone; and second wife, Alice Peterson.

His progeny includes daughter, Sharon (Machesky, Hurst) Wiita; grandsons, John, Mill Creek, Wash., Alexander, Paradise, Calif., and Jason Hurst, Ironwood, Mich .; and great-grandchildren, Chantz, Maddix, Lucas, Alexis, Jacob and Jordan Hurst.

John was born on June 21, 1917. He and his siblings, Nada, Regina, Dorothy, Lawrence, Aloysius, Edward and David Machesky, were raised along the banks of the Montreal River in Gile.

At the age of 16, upon high school graduation, John walked to Duluth, Minn., and joined the U.S. Navy. That 30-year career took him all around the world and serving in the Sino-Japanese War, World War II (including the invasion of Anzio Beach) and Korea.

He and his wife, Ruth, raised their two children, Sharon and John Jr., in San Leandro, Calif. His hobbies were fishing, golfing, bowling and he liked to dance. When John retired from the Navy, he then had a lucrative career with Mobil Oil Co., heading up its Northern California operations.

Upon retiring from Mobil, he and Alice traveled extensively. Their retirement home was in Napa, Calif. After losing his second wife, he resided in Paradise, Calif., at an active senior retirement center where he remained kind, fun loving and alert to the end.