Joseph L. Skees

Joseph L. Skees, age 78, of Paducah, KY passed away on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, at the Ray and Kay Eckstein Hospice Care Center at Mercy Health after battling cancer. As a testament to his Catholic faith, Joe remained positive throughout — determined to “play the hand the Good Lord dealt” him. His family remained by his side until the end. Joe was a fifth generation Kentuckian born in Paducah at Riverside Hospital on January 27, 1948, to the late Raymond Skees and the late Barbara Allen Boyd Skees. Joe, a loquacious storyteller and although much too young to remember, he took great enjoyment in jokingly recounting to his mother the bitter cold weather on his birthday. Joe also enjoyed making up silly songs and sayings to help himself remember acquaintances, their occupations, their families, or just for entertainment. If Joe was teasing you or asking countless questions, then he liked you and was interested in your story. Joe was a lifelong hunter and outdoorsman. The majority of his hunting career was dedicated to being a Houndsman — following a pack of Beagle hounds through the thickets and swamps of western Kentucky in pursuit of rabbits. The thrill of the chase, the bay of melodious hound music, and the relentless determination of his hounds kept a life-long fire stoked in this hunter’s heart. Over the years, Joe raised and worked hundreds of hounds, with his last two litters of Beagle pups raised in his mid-70s. After his health deteriorated, he still enjoyed rabbit and squirrel hunts with his friend Jody Angle. He also discovered a newfound enjoyment in road hunting for squirrels with a Mountain Cur in Land Between the Lakes. He was forever content outdoors, enjoying God’s creation as he listened to Hounds and Curs chase game. Joe attended St. Mary’s Academy and was a member of the first graduating class at St. Mary High School in 1966. He was a member of St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church. After graduation, Joe became a Millwright. He then joined the Carpenter’s Union and later the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. He retired from Westlake Monomers as a Maintenance Mechanic after 37 years’ service. Joe was known for keeping lockers full of leather Redwing boots, worn-in coats, countless helmet liners, Channel locks, and Louis L’Amour Westerns. Joe is survived by his loving and dedicated wife of 52 years, Veronica June Murray Skees, who he met at his uncle Harry’s IGA Grocery in Princeton, KY; his four children, Katie (Chris) Downing of Gilbertsville, Joey (Angie) Skees of Benton, Murray (Lisa Yount) Skees of Savannah, GA, and Paul (Liza Fajardo) Skees of Paducah, eight grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, a brother, two sisters, and a host of nieces, nephews and cousins. Visitation will be held on Tuesday, June 2, 2026, from 5 p.m. - 8 p.m. at Lindsey Funeral Home in Paducah, KY. A Funeral mass will be held on Wednesday, June 3 at 12 p.m. at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church in Paducah, KY with Fr. Gary Clark officiating. A meal will be served for family and friends in the Parish Hall after mass. Burial will follow at Pleasant Hill Cemetery in Fredonia, KY at approximately 3:30 p.m.