Stanley Paul Skola

Stanley P. Skola, Jr., 83, of Nicholasville, KY died on November 20, 2024, after a battle with Parkinson's Disease, brought on by exposure to Agent Orange during his military service in Vietnam. His second wife, Kathy Henson, was by his side as he passed. In addition to Ms. Henson, Stan is survived by his daughter, Elizabeth (Skola) Davis, her husband, Jeffrey, and their daughter Kathryn of Bethesda, MD; sons Donald Skola of Atlanta, GA; Stephen Skola and his daughter Danna of Taswell, Indiana; brother Richard Skola and wife Mary, of Plymouth, MA; niece Katie (Skola) Banchick and husband Michael, of Boston, MA; and nephew Andrew Skola and wife Adrienne Cortez of Dallas, TX. Mr. Skola is also survived by his stepdaughters, Brittney and Taylor, and step-grandchildren, Tyler, Malakhi, Xavien and Kyza, all of Nicholasville. He was the son of the late Kathryn T. (McKeown) and Stanley P. Skola, Sr., of Worcester.

Born in Worcester, MA, Stan graduated from Worcester South High School and Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) with a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering. Following completion of the U.S. Army ROTC Program at WPI, Stan served as a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army with the Signal Corp, including deployment in Vietnam. Upon return, Stan worked as a mechanical engineer (PE) for several high-profile companies and firms in Ohio, Virginia, Indiana, Louisiana, Georgia and Kentucky. He was most recently with Davis & Plomin Mechanical of Lexington, KY. His expertise in HVAC systems contributed to the building of structures from the ICU wards of major hospitals to the well-ventilated stables of Kentucky horse farms.

Stan was an adept fisherman, from his days as a young boy with his brother and father along the shores of Lake Quinsigamond, Lake Chauncey and Wachusett Reservoir, to trips with his sons in 2005 to the glacier-fed rivers of New Zealand, with many a pond, stream and deep sea adventure in between. His brother and sons will testify that neither the Worcester Tornado of 1953 passing on the far shore of Lake Quinsigamond nor the heavy brush of the remote New Zealand wilderness could deter his casts.

Stan was active with American Legion Post 8 in Lexington and valued his connection with his fellow veterans, including many friends of that era who have predeceased him. He will be interred on December 2 at 12:30 with military honors at Camp Nelson in Nicholasville. This obituary was lovingly submitted by the family.  All arrangements are under the direction of Hager & Cundiff Funeral Home and we would like to express our deepest sympathy to the Skola family and friends. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his name to American Legion Post 8, 1230 Man-O-War Place, Lexington, KY 40504, (859) 252-0022.