Obituary
Tom “Skinner” Reuter
Tom “Skinner” Reuter, 74, passed away on Wednesday, October 23, 2024. He was born on July 10, 1950 to William and Dorothy ( Travis ) Reuter. We lost our husband, father, grandfather, brother, good friend and a proud Marine on that day.
He was an avid hunter and river rat. Nickname of “Skinner” was a result of his muskrat trapping for years and was called the rat skinner, eventually the name stuck as Skinner. He knew every slough, wing damn, and island and practically lived on the river as he spent so much time there. He passed on that knowledge to his two sons and then to his grandkids, hoping they would enjoy hunting and fishing as much as he did.
He enlisted in the USMC before graduating high school and at age 17 after graduating, he was on his way to boot camp and Camp Pendleton. Eventually, he became the CO’s personal driver on base and everyone who knew Tom, can imagine how that was not his reason for enlisting. He asked his CO to sign his papers to go to Vietnam and in ‘69 and ‘70, he served his country. Making it thru combat was not easy and even though he made it home by way of the USS Alamo ship and going thru a typhoon, it was his time in Vietnam that eventually took his life due to Agent Orange. After all he would go thru over the last couple years, he said he would do it all over again. Once a Marine, Always a Marine.
He worked many years as a plumber/pipe fitter for Bernie Buchner and then with LaCrosse Mechanical.
He loved his Harley motorcyle and with his wife, they traveled to many states and also Canada. Our group of Harley buddies were amazing friends thru the years and always traveling for the fall color run to Michigan, Door County, Sturgis and also to Washington DC being part of Rolling Thunder, an experience like no other. Our cycle trip to Green Bay being part of LZ Lambeau was another unforgettable experience which helped so many veterans like Tom open up more about their military service.
Tom considered himself very fortunate to have been on the Freedom Honor Flight on May 4, 2024 with his oldest grandson, Cowan, as his guardian and his brother-in-law, Dan Solie, also a veteran.
He is survived by his wife, Linda (Fischer), his two sons, Tom (Brenda Sagen) and Randy; his grandchildren Cowan, Ayla, Grayson and Brantley. He is also survived by his sister and brother-in-law, Beverlee & Dan Solie; and his sister-in-law, Mae Reuter. He was preceded in death by his parents, William and Dorothy Reuter; his stepmother, Dorothea Reuter, his brother, Gerald, and his nephew, Brian Ingalls.
We will have a Celebration of Life at the Melrose Rod and Gun Club (W13890 Rod & Gun Club Rd, Melrose) on Saturday, November 9th from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM with a military honor salute at 1:00 PM. There will be food available to enjoy throughout the day. Tom loved to watch his grandkids trapshoot. Two were on the Mel-Min trapshoot team and one was on the Central-Logan trapshoot team and competed at the Chaseburg Rod and Gun Club. Trapshooting will be open for those who want to bring their guns and trapshoot. We would love to have you come and reminisce on your memories of Skinner.
Semper fi, Skinner, Semper fi……
Miss you Skinner from our Harley days
You are and will be missed Uncle Tom! Until we see each other again 🫡
My condolences go to his wife,Linda, his two sons and family. He will be greatly missed. After his brother,Jerry,
and my husband passed away he would regularly call me and see if I had any needs. He was a comfort and a joy
in my life. He will be missed but not forgotten. I thank him and his family for remembering me after his brother passed away. May peace and love be with his family.
Mae Reuter
Can’t even express how sorry we are and how Tom will be missed. Tom was one of the nicest men I ever met. Linda, please keep in touch.
Super guy and a great loss to his family and close friends. In typical Marine style, he fought a tough battle but finally his body succumbed to the disease he got from Agent Orange while serving his country in Viet Nam. Rest easy, Tom, and know you will remain in the memories of many.
Linda I am so sorry about Tpm he was so proud of his boys Tommy & Randy when he brought them over to My Dads station we had some great times there rest in peace MY FRIEND
Worked with Skinner on a few jobs. We started our apprenticeships about the same time. I will certainly miss him. We would talk about working at the brewery and the hospital when I saw him recently. RIP
The Central/Logan Trap Team as well as Randy and myself would like to send our sympathies to Tom’s family. We were lucky enough to witness first hand his devotion to his grandchildren and the hours he spent watching them trap shoot. He was so proud of each and every one of them! Rest in peace.
Deepest sympathies to Linda & Skinner’s family. He will be deeply missed by those who knew him. We had some great Harley adventures together with lots of happy memories & laughs. Rest in Peace Skinner, you more than earned it.
Dear Linda, Randy, Tom and families…our deepest sympathies. So very, very sorry for your loss. Hard to imagine a world without Skinner. From Harley riding and adventures, going out to eat, visiting, hunting, fishing, being together with friends – you will be missed. Semper fi Skinner.
Oh skinner… was introduced to u thru the Tischer clan and so happy to have known u. So many parties on our vhs tapes we will remember.. thank you for fixing a leak when Ronnie wasn’t around. I’m truly blessed to have met u gotten to know you . Tell your buddy Ron I said hi.
Our deepest sympathies to Linda and the family. We will always treasure our many memories of times we spent with Tom, especially our many Harley rides and adventures. Rest in peace, dear friend!
Linda was so sorry to hear of Tom’s passing, sounds like you had a wonderful life together and a lot of memories were made. My sympathy to you and the family. Tom, Thank you for your service RIP
So sorry for Tom’s passing! I remember being with Linda when she first met Tom and waiting with Tom for Linda to deliver Tommy Jr watching ‘Baa Baa Black Sheep’, a favorite of both of us! Long time friends are hard to lose! 😢🩷
Linda and family, we are so sorry to hear of Tom’s passing. We have so many wonderful memories of our Harley weekend rides and get togethers with you and Tom and HOG Chapter friends. May your many memories help you through this difficult time. Rest in peace, Tom.
So sorry to hear of Skinners passing. He was one of a kind and am so glad to have shared so many wonderful times and memories. He will be truly missed. So glad we were able to go out to eat and get together one last time. Our sympathy to you and your family.
Linda & Fam, So sorry to hear about Tom’s passing. Fun to have shared all the memories of the company picnics & Hayward vacations together with your fam & ours! My deepest sympathies!! Rest in peace Tom.
Please accept my deepest sympathy for your loss of “Skinner”. We worked together off and on over the years. Special memories of our time working on the synfuel project in North Dakota.
Skinner will be missed dearly. RIP Skinner.