Obituary of Iroll Graydon Skaar, Jr

Iroll Graydon Skaar was born in Kenyon, Minnesota on August 13, 1931, to his parents, Iroll Sr. and Gladys Skaar.  Iroll was recently diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma cancer.  He passed away on May 7, 2023.

Iroll enlisted in the National Guard while in High School and then enlisted in the Air Force in 1950.  He was stationed at Castle Air Force Base near Merced, CA.  He trained in electronics and navigation systems in the Air Force, which led him to a deep interest in physics and mathematics.  He was awarded Good Conduct Medal and a National Defense Services Medal.  After four years in the Air Force, he attended college at Mankato State College in MN.  He graduated from University of Minnesota with a B.S. degree in Physics and Math. 

Iroll met Betty May from Mankato MN and they eventually married in St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in San Francisco CA on January 16, 1954. They had two daughters; Kathryn and Margaret. 

He was hired by Sperry Univac (now Unisys) and worked there for 30+ years as a computer engineer, solving manufacturing problems and improving mainframe technologies.  The company moved him to different locations over the years.  One of the most exciting was a move to Tokyo, Japan for almost a year, where he was responsible to set up a new manufacturing plant to produce mag tape units. 

Iroll was a long time member of MENSA.  He was fond of playing chess and solving crossword puzzles in record time – in ink! After his engineering career he taught math and science at two local private middle schools:  Nysmith and Green Hedges School. He loved helping students improve their understanding of math. 

He enjoyed time with his family.  Especially spending time with his wife, daughters, three grandchildren and three great grandchildren.  Iroll is survived by his wife of 69 years, Betty; his two daughters in Reston and Herndon VA; and sister Sandra in Allentown, PA; three grandchildren and three great grandchildren, as well as numerous nieces and nephews.  He was predeceased by his parents Iroll Sr. and Gladys; his sister Colleen, and brothers David and Bryce.

In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations to the International Myeloma Foundation, https://www.myeloma.org, in his memory.

A visitation will be held Friday May 19^th, 2023 from 4 pm to 8 pm at Randy & Kathy Hinton’s home: 11342 Woodbrook Ln., Reston, VA.

Funeral Services will be held at St. Anne’s Episcopal Church on Saturday May 20^th, 2023 at 2pm.  St. Anne’s is located at 1700 Wainwright Drive, Reston, VA 20190.  There will be a reception after the funeral service in the church. 

Iroll will be interred at a later date in Arlington National Cemetery.