Eugene A Skordinski

Eugene Skordinski, 84, lifelong resident of Newport Township, Pennsylvania, entered the presence of God on May 25, 2026, surrounded by his wife and children at home, after a battle with Lewy Body and vascular dementia.

Gene was born on May 27, 1941, to the late John and Amelia (Howanitz) Skordinski in Glen Lyon, Penna. He grew up enjoying the outdoors, playing high school football, and spending his younger years working as a newspaper delivery boy which would eventually become the essence of his working life. After graduating from Newport High School in 1960, he went on to attend a typographical school in New York City and started his career as a printer at Llewellyn & McKane, Inc. in Wilkes-Barre.

Gene met the love of his life, MaryAnn Modla, at Dr. Stapinski’s office in Glen Lyon. They were married at St. Nicholas Church, Glen Lyon, on April 4, 1964, and celebrated sixty-two years of marriage this spring.

He served as an artilleryman in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard 28th Division, 109th Field Artillery Regiment Battery B from 1963 to 1969. Over the expanse of his 42-year career in the newspaper business, he saw the business change from the mechanical age of hot linotype to the high-tech electronic age. He went on to work for the Sunday Independent Newspaper and then, in 1972, was hired by the former Wilkes-Barre Publishing Company.

A labor dispute with the publishing company in 1978 led him to become one of the founding members of The Citizens’ Voice. He served alongside many others on the frontlines and picket lines of what has been referenced as the newspaper wars of Northeast Pennsylvania of the late 1970s and 1980s. It was a labor dispute that at the time was compared to the immigrant coal miners of old who fought for a living wage, safer working conditions, justice, and human dignity.

Gene transitioned from the printing department to the newsroom in 1982, where he enjoyed the work because it involved meeting people from all walks of life. During his time in the newsroom, he also served in the photography, circulation, and advertising fields. He was a member of the International Typographical Union and the Communication Workers of America.

His happiest times were spending time with his children playing ball tag, badminton, swimming, and throwing pitches and fly balls to his youngest son. He found solace in the woods and enjoyed hunting and fishing and in his later years walking around Newport Township talking to anyone he met. His daily ritual from ages 28 to 70 consisted of an exercise routine that allowed him to accumulate thousands of miles of jogging. As a grandfather, he enjoyed telling stories about Glen Lyon to his grandchildren and visiting Knoebel’s Grove Amusement Park when each family would arrive for a summer visit. He never wanted to eat out because nothing compared to his wife’s home cooking and baked goods.

He was preceded in death by his father, mother, and brother Myron.

He is survived by his wife Mary Ann; daughter Marianne and husband Robert Bohinski of Raleigh, NC and grandchildren, Robert Jr., Lydia Rose and Elize Mae; son David and wife Kristen of Raleigh, NC and grandchildren Stephen and Jonathan; and son Matt and wife Jill of Nolensville, TN and grandchildren Will, Luke and Jack. Gene was a man who frequently stated his belief in the importance of a strong faith, a close and caring family, and a free country. He was a devoted husband and loving father and grandfather who will be greatly missed, but his legacy lives on in the hearts of his wife, children, and grandchildren who dearly loved and admired him.

Funeral services will begin Monday, June 1st at 9:30 a.m. from Dinelli Family Funeral Home, 170 E. Broad Street, Nanticoke with a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. at St. Faustina Kowalska Roman Catholic Church, 520 S. Hanover Street. Nanticoke with the Rev. Brian F. Van Fossen, his pastor as celebrant.

Interment and Rite of Committal will follow at St. Mary’s Cemetery, Hanover Township.

The family will receive friends for viewing and visitation hours Sunday, May 31, 2026, from 4 to 7 p.m. at the funeral home.