Lowell Lee Vanskike, age 90, of Emmaus passed away on December 17, 2019. He was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on March 5, 1929, to parents Nellie Rose (Murphy) Vanskike and Lee Vanskike. He was predeceased by his loving wife Thelma June (Sebastian) Vanskike in February 2006.

His mother was institutionalized with a debilitating postpartum condition when he was a young lad of five. He and his father then moved from St. Louis to Oregon, eventually settling in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, where he grew up. He worked as a hard-rock miner in Hecla's Star silver/lead mine in Burke, Idaho for five years before being drafted. During the Korean War he served two years in the U.S. Army as a radio operator at Ft. Louis, Washington, and Salzburg, Austria. He graduated from the University of Idaho with a B.S. in engineering and from Stevens Institute of Technology (Hoboken, NJ) with an M.S. in electrical engineering. Mr. Vanskike retired in 1987 following 30 years as a member of the technical staff of Bell Labs and Lucent Technologies in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

He was a registered Professional Engineer and is past president of the Lehigh Valley Chapter of the National Society of Professional Engineers. He was a member of Unami Fish and Game in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, and the Windward Sailing Club in Allentown, Pennsylvania. An avid recreational sailor, Mr. Vanskike spent some of his happiest times sailing the waters of the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean with family and friends. Always a steady hand at the tiller, his favorite moment was when he could cut the engines and let the wind fill the sails and take the boat. He was a man of many hobbies and passions, including wood carving, cycling, cross-country skiing, reading, and genealogy. In his retirement, he took up writing and published several stories about his Idaho adventures in Idaho Magazine and Nostalgia.

Survivors: Son, Dr. Elliott L. Vanskike, and his wife, Dr. Julie M. Schmid, of Takoma Park, MD; daughters, Beth Sue Desch, wife of Paul S. Desch, of Pottstown, PA, and Karen V. Bouw, wife of Jonathan H. Bouw, of Muncie, IN; seven grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

Services: December 29, 2019, 2:00 pm calling hour, 3:00 pm memorial service; Schantz Funeral Home, 250 Main Street, Emmaus, PA, 18049.

Donations: In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Emmaus Public Library.