Deone Rae Skpowski died peacefully on Sept. 10, 2023, at her daughter’s home in New Harbor. Deone, affectionately called Dee by her family and friends, will be missed greatly. She was generous to a fault, never gossiped or said a cross word about anyone, and never forgot a birthday, anniversary, or special day.
Dee was born on Dec. 24, 1932, in Modesto, Calif. Dee grew up in rural California, where her father was a rodeo bronc rider and worked with horses on movie sets. Dee enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1960 and was stationed in Honolulu, Hawaii, where she met her husband who also served in the Marines. As were the times, Dee could not continue serving and be married with a family, so she opted to start a family.
Dee married in 1963, and her daughter, Terri, was born in 1964 and her son, Louis, was born in 1966. As a spouse of a service member, Dee raised her children at Camp Pendleton, Calif. while her husband “Ski” served two tours in Vietnam. Of note, the Skpowskis were stationed at the U.S. Embassy, Kabul, Afghanistan, from 1974 to 1976, where she worked for the U.S. ambassador while Ski oversaw the Marine Security Detail.
Following Afghanistan, the Skpowskis were stationed in Beaufort, S.C., where after her husband retired, Dee and he started and ran a very successful cleaning business catering to the many vacation communities in the low-country area. Dee became a widow in 1992 and continued the cleaning business until her retirement in 2016, at the age of 83.
In 2016, Dee moved into the home of her daughter and son-in-law, Steven Sylvester, in the Washington, D.C. area. In 2018, Dee relocated with her daughter’s family to New Harbor, until her passing.
Surviving are her daughter, Terri Sylvester, of New Harbor; granddaughter, Autumn Sylvester, of Tampa, Fla.; her son, Louis Skpowski; and her granddaughter, Soleil, of Mt. Pleasant, S.C.
She will be interned with her spouse at the Beaufort National Cemetery, in Beaufort, S.C. Arrangements are under the direction and care of the Strong-Hancock Funeral Home, 612 Main St., Damariscotta, ME 04543. Condolences, and messages for her family, may be expressed by visiting stronghancock.com.
