Joel Skok

Joel P. Skok, 68, of Byron Center, peacefully entered his heavenly home on Tuesday, March 24, 2026 surrounded by his family. Born in Seattle and raised on Mercer Island, Washington, Joel spent a rambunctious youth climbing trees, building clubhouses, backpacking with the Boy Scouts, and leaving laughter and merriment in his wake. Like his father, Frank P. Skok, he graduated with a Forestry degree from the University of Washington. He then served four years in the Peace Corps in Chile, the Dominican Republic, and Honduras, where he met his future wife. They made their home in Michigan and raised their family there.

A master tree transplanter for over 35 years, he relocated more than 20,000 trees across West Michigan. For 22 of those years, Joel owned and operated Forever Green Transplanting with major projects at John Ball Zoo, Ferris State University, GVSU, Frederik Meijer Gardens, and Michigan’s Adventure. A highlight was planting trees at President Gerald R. Ford’s museum in Grand Rapids and meeting President Ford. A lifelong outdoorsman, he enjoyed photography, kayaking, hiking, and mountain climbing—having summited the principal peaks of Washington State in his youth. At his home, he cared for numerous trees grown from seedlings and the animals on the family farm, especially his beloved miniature donkey, Jack. He was a devoted husband and father who treasured spending time with his family. Joel deeply missed his neighbor and close friend Howard Christensen, who passed in 2015. He was a devout Christian who lived to serve God. In recent years Joel courageously battled progressive supranuclear palsy, a rare and incurable neurological disease, before passing far too young.

He will be lovingly remembered by his wife of 40 years, Florence; his children, Jesse (Julia) Skok and Hannah Skok; his siblings, Neal (Janet) Skok, Jill (Bob) Towns, and Bill (Kathy) Skok; nephews Charlie Skok, William Skok, Peter Towns, and Daniel Towns; numerous Skok and O’Brien cousins and dear friends John Anderson, Phil Logan, Ron Sheadel, and many others. He was preceded in death by his parents, Frank and Kathy Skok.

Per his wishes, cremation has taken place. A Celebration of Joel’s Life will be held at 4:00 PM on April 23, 2026, at Byron Manor (https://byronmanormi.com/). Friends and acquaintances are welcome to attend. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Cure PSP (https://www.psp.org/), Rock Steady Boxing (https://rocksteadyboxing.org/), or The Sierra Club (https://www.sierraclub.org/).