Lon attended Medford schools, first grade through his senior year, was a graduate of Oregon State University, and also graduated from the General Motors Institute. He served with the United States Air Force during World War 11.

In 1962, Lon was national speed boat champion, setting two world speed records and many other records on the west coast. When he wasn’t skimming the water in a speed boat, he was gaining national fame as a water skier, a runner-up in the national water ski champion tournament. ‘

A true sports enthusiast, Lon was a successful local stock car and motorcy­cle racer, and one of the first to fly a human Sk1-k1te. He was a diamond rated glider pilot and did skindiving for the Jackson County sheriff rescue operations.

Lon had sailed his own boat to Hawaii and the South Seas and was also a pilot for 40 years. His family feels quite sure he might have the most non-­ commercial hours of anyone in the area, estimated at 10,000.

“On The Land”, “On the Water”, “In the Air”, any direction you looked, you most likely would see Lon Skinner performing whichever of his favorite sports the weather allowed at that time and excelling in all.