William Russell Skiles also known as Bill and uncle Bill to so many left this world December 22, 2020. Bill was born to Chester and Susan Skiles in Muskegon, Michigan August 29, 1932. After graduating high school Bill attended Michigan State University where he received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Police Administration in 1954. Bill then joined the United States Army where he served 1954 to 1957 as a Corporal with the Military Police in Europe, and ranked first in class at NCO Academy in Munich, Germany. After his Honorable Discharge Bill returned to college, this time at the University of Michigan where he studied Law for a year. In 1959 Bill was appointed as Special Agent of the United States Secret Service in Detroit, Michigan. In 1960 Bill was assigned to the White House for protection of both Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and President John F. Kennedy. Bill left the Kennedy Detail in 1962 and returned to the Detroit Field Office to work counterfeiting cases and forgery. In 1968 Bill returned to Washington D.C. and was appointed Deputy Special Agent in Charge of the Protective Support Division whereas he carried out dozens of protective missions for U.S. and foreign dignitaries here in the United States and many other countries. In 1973 Bill became the Assistant Special Agent in Charge (ASAC) of the Oklahoma City Field Office where he was responsible for the supervision and administration of all Secret Service activities in the State of Oklahoma. Bill then retired in 1982 and became Director of Corporate Security for the GHK Corporation. In 1983 Bill began working for the United States Government again, this time the Department of Defense doing investigative background checks for possible employees for the Central Intelligence Agency. Bill loved to travel to the Caribbean visiting dozens of islands over the years. He was a long member of the Greens Country Club where he played tennis several times a week up into his eighties. He loved hanging with his “Tennis Buddies” he called them even starting a once a month penny poker night with them he’d host at his home of course when he no longer could keep up with them on the court. That brings to mind one of Bill’s famous stories of being a young Special Agent at the White House protecting the Kennedy’s. Bill said one morning shortly after JFK and Jackie moved in to the White House he was on duty and his supervisor received a call from Mrs. Kennedy asking if any of the agents could play tennis because she needed a partner, the supervisor asked the room of agents “hey any of you guys know how to play tennis because the bosses wife needs a partner” , Bill shouts “yes sir I play”, the supervisor tells Bill “great”, gets back on the phone with Jackie and says, ”no ma’am .” Bill says to his supervisor “why did you lie to her?” The supervisor says “if I let you then you’ll end up being on her detail, I need you for bigger things.” He always recounted that day saying that could have be a pivotal time in history. If he would have been on her detail chances are he would have been by her side walking outside the limousine that day in Daley Plaza, much closer than Clint Hill who was walking behind the limo.

Bill was the life of the party and always made his presence known with his many larger than life stories told so well by him you’d feel as though you were there with him. His stories made you realize how normal the world leaders are and how jovial he treated them as they allowed him into their secret lives. Bill would always tell us how poor he was growing up, and how hard his mother worked. He was proof no matter how limited your possibilities may seem, if you dream big and work hard everything is achievable. The last few years Bill would always recap his life having no regrets and still so excited about all he had done and would tell us in his own words “I’ve lived my best life.”

Bill leaves behind his son Rob and his wife Rosie and their two children, his son John and his two children, his step son Timothy , his step daughter Laurie Ann, his ex-wife Ann, his adopted family Tammie and Jodie Russell and their children Brandon, Lauren and Kimberlyn, as well as dozens of softball girls and their families that Bill so loved as he coached and mentored them sometimes from behind the backstop. They will always remember him as Uncle Bill, and oh how he cherished that name.