David Arthur Skinner

Born ~ December 1, 1951

Date of Passing ~ September 20, 2023

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Dave, at the age of 71, at Oakview Place Personal Care Home where he spent the last four months.

Dave will be lovingly remembered by his wife, Lori, of 42 years; daughter Carly and son-in-law Fred King, grandson Jack; daughter Krista and son-in-law Andrew Scheerschmidt, grandsons Austin & Kolton; his twin brother Paul and sister-in-law Marilyne and family; and sister Janet; as well as many dear friends; and of course, Dobby his constant companion for the last 10 years. Dave was predeceased by his parents, Jack and Olive Skinner and brothers Neil and Al.

Dave grew up in the West End and attended Principal Sparling and Daniel Mac. He worked in a few different jobs that eventually led him to the locksmith trade. Over time he became a Certified Master Locksmith and owned and operated Security Lock & Safe in St. James for over 30 years. He was well respected by industry peers and called upon on many occasions as a safe-opening and solution solving specialist. He had many long-term service contracts including Boeing and the Winnipeg airport where he established many long lasting friendships, even into retirement. A special thanks to Ron and Vicky Dawson from Kildonan Lock for always being there for our business and then for taking over the reins when Dave's health issues forced him into retirement.

Dave prided himself in being an expert handyman who loved to build things and figure out how to fix things. He took pleasure in all the projects he completed at our home in Woodhaven the last 24 years and at our cabin at Grand Beach over the last 30 years. Many discussions were had with his Dad, brother Paul or beach neighbour, Les, on the processes. He also owned a '67 Barracuda for the last 15 years that he spent a lot of time restoring. His other passion was golf - many early morning rounds at Victoria Beach, 4 Brothers get-togethers, visits with Paul in Borrego Springs and Michigan, and his membership at Players after retirement.

Although owning a business limited how much time we could take to travel, we did manage some winter getaways. Our first family trip was to Florida to visit Disney World in 2001 and was followed by many more including: 5 Caribbean cruises; trips to Cuba, Mexico and Punta Cana, often with Krista and Andrew or friends the Harvey's and Hassett’s; Borrego Springs; Barbados; Kauai; and thanks to our dear friends Sandra and Ken, for the trip of a lifetime we shared attending their daughter's African Safari wedding in Nairobi, Masai Mara and Watamu, Kenya.

We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to the staff at Oakview Place. They are an amazing group of people who treated Dave with kindness, compassion, dignity and respect.

A special thank you to Dave's best friend Kevin Harvey for helping us through the last nine months with almost weekly visits or outings and always being there for Dave.

In lieu of flowers, if friends so desire, donations may be made to The Heart & Stroke Foundation; CancerCare Manitoba, or to a charity of your choice.

An informal gathering for family and friends to share stories and celebrate Dave's life will be held on Friday, October 13th, from 1 to 4pm at The Player's Golf Course Restaurant, 2695 Park Royale Way, Winnipeg.