Jonathan David Skripko

Jonathan David "Cactus Jon" Skripko passed away Dec. 31, 2016, at Yavapai Regional Medical Center in Prescott, Arizona, following a brief illness. He was 60.A memorial service is scheduled for Jon Saturday, Jan. 7, at 3 p.m., at the chapel of the Ruffner-Wakelin Funeral Home in downtown Prescott, 303 S. Cortez St.He is survived by his mother, Sue Skripko of Aurora, Colorado; two sisters, Christine Velotta of North Las Vegas, Nevada, and Kathi Williams of Denver, Colorado; a nephew, Marco Velotta of Henderson, Nevada; and a niece, Chiara Velotta of Reno, Nevada; and a great-niece.

He was preceded in death by his father, John Skripko of Aurora, Colorado, in 2016.Jon was born Nov. 20, 1956, in Twin Falls, Idaho. His family moved to Colorado when he was about 2 years old.
He began running in junior high school to avoid confrontations with bullies, realizing that he was faster and had better endurance than they did.
He was graduated from William C. Hinkley High School in Aurora, Colorado, in 1974, and lettered in cross country and track.
His first job was in pool maintenance at the Del Mar Municipal Swimming Pool in Aurora, calling it the best place for a teen to have a job. He eventually earned Water Safety Instruction certification and became a lifeguard there.Jon attended the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley for a year before enrolling in a motorcycle maintenance course that led to a 35-year career in the motorcycle industry, primarily as a parts manager.
He worked mostly in Denver and Prescott Valley, Arizona, and had temporary assignments for his employer in Scranton-Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania.He continued to run competitively in Colorado and was a member of the Phidippides Track Club, one of Denver's most established running organizations. He competed in hundreds of races, including the Bolder Boulder. He once raced to the summit of 14,265-foot Mount Evans on the front range of the Rocky Mountains.He moved to Prescott Valley in 2010 and eventually went to work for Star Island Motorsports.
The change of scenery to central Arizona removed him from the growing traffic of Denver and gave him new horizons to discover. He took frequent recreational motorcycle rides to Sedona, the Verde Valley and to Phoenix.Jon was also an avid scooter enthusiast and he made frequent trips to Moab, Utah, for scooter rallies.
In Prescott, he was a member of the Mountain Milers running club and continued to run competitively, building new friendships along the way.An avid camper and hiker, one of Jon's favorite destinations was the village of Supai in the western Grand Canyon. He once organized a hike there with his mother, who was in her 70s, and one of his sisters.
Jon was a self-taught classical guitar player and much of his personal time was devoted to music. Many of his travels to Phoenix and Las Vegas were dedicated to concert experiences with bands he enjoyed, his favorite being the English progressive rock band Yes and its top players, Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman.He also enjoyed Pink Floyd; the Cowboy Junkies; Emerson, Lake and Palmer; Electric Light Orchestra; and the Beatles. But his appreciation for Yes far exceeded the others.He was a frequent contributor to the YesFans online forum and many friends never met him face to face, but knew him from his "Cactus Jon" signature in the forum.In lieu of flowers, Jon's family suggests a contribution in his name to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society or the Alzheimer's Association of Colorado.