Dr. Daniel Skow
FAIRMONT – Funeral services for Dr. Daniel “Doc” Skow, DVM, 71, of Fairmont, Minn., will be 1:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 22, 2013, at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Fairmont, Minn. Burial will be following the service in Lakeside Cemetery in Fairmont.
Doc answered his final call, passing away Monday morning, Feb. 18, 2013, at his home near Fairmont. Visitation will be from 4-7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 21, 2013, at Lakeview Funeral Home in Fairmont, and one hour prior to time of services Friday at the church. Lakeview Funeral Home of Fairmont is assisting the family with arrangements.
Daniel Lee Skow was born Aug. 11, 1941, on the family farm in rural Wesley, Iowa, son of Joseph and Edna (McElmurray) Skow. Growing up, he helped on the farm and attended school. During high school, Dan became active in 4-H and FFA activities that would influence his entire life. He graduated from Algona High School in May 1959, and attempted farming for a brief time. Due to poor commodity prices at that period, Doc elected to attend Iowa State University. Upon graduation from Iowa State Veterinary School in 1968, he found employment with Fairmont Veterinary Clinic, where he was employed for 43 years. Shortly after arriving in Fairmont, Doc met Derrice Nibbe and the couple was married on June 15, 1969, in Algona, Iowa. Together, they made their home in Welcome, Minn., and in 1980, they moved their home to rural Fairmont. They were blessed with three children, Zeb, Zachary and Zephanie. In his interim with the Fairmont Vet Clinic, Doc was awarded several lifetime achievement awards for livestock production and agronomy. Some of his other awards include Friends of 4-H, Acres U.S.A, Martin County Pork Producers, and Minnesota State Poultry Association. In addition to excellence in the animal husbandry field, soil science and plant health was of great concern to him. This led to the founding of International Ag Labs, which leads the way in sustainable agriculture practices. At the time of his retirement from the Vet Clinic in August 2011, Doc was the senior veterinarian for one of the largest food animal clinics in the United States. Doc was extremely active and had a tremendous love for 4-H and FFA programs and enjoyed taking in county fairs whenever the chance presented itself. His greatest joy was to be found on the side of a beef show ring, hoping one of his favorite breeds the Horned Hereford would win the day. Doc was a member of the St. Paul’s Lutheran Church where he served in various church offices, was past president of the Welcome Commercial Club, served on State and County 4-H Boards, was a member of the Iowa State Alumni Association, was a Charter Member of the Omega Tau Sigma Fraternity, authored several books, and spoke around the world on animal nutrition and sustainable agriculture.
Left to cherish his memory is his wife of 43 years, Derrice Skow of Fairmont, Minn.; children, Zeb Skow of Fairmont, Minn., Zachary Skow of Fairmont, Minn., and Zephanie Skow and special friend, Matthew Cole, of Fairmont, Minn.; five grandchildren, Nicholas Skow, Harrison Skow, Autumn Skow, Alex Skow and Nathan Skow; siblings, Louise Petrine of Coral Gables, Fla., Dr. Marilyn Skow of Miami, Fla., Reuben Skow and his wife, Rhonda of Wesley, Iowa, Helen Scuffham and her husband, John of Algona, Iowa, Kathy Brodersen and her husband, Dr. Mark of Jacksonville, Fla., and Bessie Gisch and her husband, Garry of Algona, Iowa; as well as many nieces, nephews, extended family and friends.
Doc was preceded in death by his parents, Joseph and Edna Skow; mother-in-law and father-in-law, Alfred and Helen Nibbe; brother-in-law, Donald Petrine; and a sister-in-law, Dorothy Weber.
