Christopher Bruce Skaggs was born June 4, 1971 and passed from this life on October 26, 2020, at the age of 49. Chris was joined in marriage to Debby Bostic Skaggs on May 20, 1995. Chris is survived by his wife, Debby, of their home in Mammoth Spring, Arkansas; their four beautiful children, Dylan Skaggs, and his wife Haley, of Salem, Arkansas, Logan Skaggs, Justin Skaggs, and Lauren Skaggs, all of the home. Chris is also survived by his parents, John and Gaye Skaggs of West Plains, Missouri; his in-laws, Dan and Vicki Bostic of Mammoth Spring, Arkansas; one sister-in-law, Diana King and husband Dennis; one niece, Abby King, and one nephew, Ian King; other relatives; and many friends.
Chris was proceeded in death by his loving aunt Bonnie Trail, his grandparents, several aunts and uncles, and cousins.
Even though Chris was born in June, his life really didn’t begin until God found him the perfect parents, John and Gaye, who adopted Chris when he was three months old. Together, their family flourished on the family farm in West Plains, with the help of Chris’s beloved uncle, Gary Trail. In the last couple of years Chris was blessed with reconnecting with many of his birth family. This brought him great joy getting to know, and even meet some of his biological relatives. By all accounts they were equally as thrilled to get to know their brother, cousin, nephew and uncle. But it was Chris’s actual parents, John and Gaye, who raised the man that Chris would become, a sentiment he was quick to share with everyone.
Soon after graduating high school, Chris met his future wife, Debby, and the two of them began their life together in Mammoth Spring. During their early years together, Chris and Debby loved going to concerts, playing hours upon hours of cards with friends, and basically living their lives to the fullest. Chris started working as a radio announcer where he began calling ballgames for the Mammoth Spring Bears. This was the beginning of a life-long relationship Chris shared with the school and the town he loved. After leaving radio, Chris briefly worked as a cable installer before beginning his career as a locomotive engineer with BNSF, which lasted over 20 years.
As a boy, Chris was active in the 4H, FFA, and choir. In 1980, at the age of 9, Chris was the youngest exhibitor to show a champion at the Polled Hereford National Show, in Columbus, Ohio. Always a lover of sports, Chris enjoyed playing basketball when he was younger and was also a pretty good bowler (something he picked up from his mom). But nothing brought him more pleasure than watching his children play sports. Thousands of hours were spent in gymnasiums and ballfields. Chris helped coach several teams his children played on, and later, Chris once again became “the voice of the Bears,” when he became the public announcer at the school’s home basketball games. Chris was always there to support not only his own children, but all of the kids on the teams. Whether they needed a ride to games, a little advice, or simply a pat on the back, Chris believed in supporting and fostering the children in the community.
In the last few years of his life, Chris became more and more concerned with giving back to the community, both near and abroad. He worked with the school to raise money for the students, helped when neighbors were in need, raised money for St. Jude, and became increasingly more politically motivated. Chris believed that a society should lift its people up and not put others down, a belief he tried to practice with his own actions.
Chris’s greatest accomplishment was helping Debby raise four outstanding children. His legacy will be that of honesty, integrity, trust, and loyalty – all attributes which can be found in abundance in Dylan, Logan, Justin, and Lauren. His presence will be forever missed, but his legacy will live on.
Graveside services for Christopher Bruce Skaggs will be held on Saturday, October 31, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. in Riverside Cemetery in Mammoth Spring, Arkansas with Brother Bill Chambers and Farrell Nicholson officiating.
The family will receive friends on Saturday, October 31, 2020, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Carter Funeral Home in Thayer, Missouri.
Burial will be on Saturday, October 31, 2020 in Riverside Cemetery in Mammoth Spring, Arkansas with services under the direction of Carter Funeral Home, Inc. in Thayer, Missouri.
