Birth date: Feb 3, 1975 Death date: Jun 11, 2026
Christopher Wayne Skinner, 51, passed away on June 11, 2026, in Bentonville. He was born on February 3, 1975, to Sharon (Smith) Cheatham, in Modesto, California. Chris always pushed people to be their best selves and supported the Read Obituary
Niki, Christopher's service was beautiful and moving. You must be so proud of the Husband and Father you married. I know all the memories of wonderful travels and friends you experienced with him will bring you comfort. He raised two wonderful boy who are so polite.
I just regret not making an effort to get to know him and you better. Please know that we are here to help in any way we can.
Donna and Danny Daniel.
I thought I share the eulogy that I had originally prepared. ~ Tony Tran
I met Chris in late 2002. His employer at the time just moved their operations center from Santa Monica to Northern Virginia. When I was hired, I recall seeing Chris in this button up shirt with bigs graphics of bright blue flames. He also had these blue mirrored Oakley sunglasses on his forehead, multiple piercings on his eyebrow, and a big hoop earring on top of his ear. And of course, who could ever forget, he had this Honda Civic that was slammed down to the ground. I remember, whenever he approached a speed bump, he would slow down to a crawl and almost turn sideways to just proceed forward. But, I digress. From that first meeting, I distinctly remember thinking to myself, “Wow, lucky me gets to work with Mr. California here.”
After a few days, I given a satellite modem to get familiar with. I reminded the managers (Ramiro and Vivian) that my background was in telephony, not satellite communications. They acknowledged and remembered this but they admitted they only brought me onboard because they liked my charming personality. Fortunately, they figured I could use some help. This is likely when Chris was “voluntold” to get me spun up on all things satellites. I didn’t know it then but it was at that point that my life would be forever changed as this was the beginning of our friendship.
Over the years, I felt that we formed a strong bond and trust with each other. I learned a great deal from him. Sure, I learned a lot from him when it came to matters around work. But, more importantly, I learned how to be a better person. We often spent time talking a lot about life; things that brought us joy and things that made us complain about work. He was a good listener and to hear his thoughts was always insightful and invaluable.
I feel that he gained some of his wisdom from his his time in the Air Force and all his world travels. But, I think a lot of who he was came from his up bringing and family. This past weekend, I had the opportunity to scan a lot of the photos you have seen today. For me, seeing the photos of his childhood told me a story that he was loved and supported by his family and all by those that were around him. I believe he carried on this love and support when he got a family of his own. Just seeing his smile in the photos with Nikki, Leighton, and Logan, it was clear his character and strength came from them. And their love in return made him a stronger person.
His character was also evident and seen by his friends. We all know when he has his mind is set, he will not stop until the job is done. He was also the kind of guy that would help without any hesitation. For example, he helped me put in wood flooring, built a patio in my backyard, and even put in a pond with a water fountain feature. He did all this and never asked for anything in return.
As for the workplace, I can tell you first hand his determination and drive was there as well. He embodied leadership qualities that he probably didn’t know he had. I would say this was because that was just who he was and it just came naturally. Chris was a grounded person and a straight shooter. And let’s be honest, we could use more people like him these days.
I want to share one last note. In recent years, I have helped Chris locate some hard to find items that he wanted for his family. For example, I found him some Funko Pops for Nikki, Transformers figures for his kids, and a collection of He-Man toys so he could share his childhood with his kids. But, for himself, he asked me to help located some skateboards, particularly the Tony Hawk variety. At some point, Nikki sent me a check to cover the cost of these boards. I recall seeing on the envelope the word “Enabler”. This was written in beautiful cursive by Nikki. You know what? She was right. I was an enabler. But, these past few days I been reflecting about my time with him and realized that he was an enabler well. Just seeing him how he treated people with respect. He was always honest and real with people. Because of all of that, I strive to be a better person everyday. And I am willing to bet, you all feel the same way as well. If I am right, then look around the room and consider the impact that Chris had on all of us. To continue to honor memory, I think he would want us to do good and be good to others. That is probably all that he would ask in return from each one of from us.
Thank you, Chris. You will be forever in our hearts.
This is the eulogy that I gave for Chris:
So… Chris asked me to be one of the people to write his Eulogy about a month ago, and I am absolutely honored to share some stories and talk about how great he was. You can imagine how heavy that request was at the time and how difficult it must have been for him to ask. I didn’t even think twice… I told him that whatever he needed or wanted, he only had to ask. I told him that from the time he found out he was sick, as so many others did as well.
Chris was like a brother to me. I know that he felt the same way.
My wife and I met Chris about 25 years ago, roughly in 2000, when I hired him for a job in Satellite Communications at a small company in Santa Monica. I remember thinking that this guy knows his stuff pretty well and seems like he will take the job seriously. Those who have ever worked with Chris know that that was absolutely true and carried on through his career.
His job was to set up satellite links in places where internet connectivity hadn’t become wide-spread yet so he got to visit places in Africa, the far east and islands in the Caribbean. Chris and I became pretty good friends during our time with that company.
The dot-com bubble was bursting right around then. Instead of stock options that were supposed to make us rich, our company avoided bankruptcy by being purchased by another company, who offered to move most people to Virginia while shutting down the CA office. Chris took that transfer, and my wife and I moved to Arizona to raise our growing family. I have a good story here…. Chris helped us load our U-Haul when we moved to AZ, and let me tell you…. That man could pack a moving van like a pro. He must have excelled at Tetris!! Or maybe it was OCD, but ya… it was impressive. We did not think we could get all our stuff in the van, but Chris was our hero.
We all went on with our lives until 2007. My wife and I got a bug to go on an adventure overseas with our 2 young boys and I was able to find a job in Germany. It was a defense contract providing internet to the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. The job required me to work for a few months in Virginia in the same area as Chris, so I immediately thought of reaching out to him. It was great reconnecting - like we never left off. After packing our house up (with real pros), my family joined me in Virginia for a couple of months, and this is when we met Nikki, and got to know her.
My new job involved using equipment Chris had become an expert Engineer in by this time in Virginia. My new role was Operations and maintenance vs Engineering, but our jobs crossed over in many different ways. He gave me advice and training without me even asking even though we were at different companies, and I happily took that at every opportunity. His mentorship is one thing that I credit a lot for my success at the new job. He was always very interested in what I had going on… always wanting to learn new things while also genuinely being concerned that I had the tools and knowledge that I needed to succeed. He was really concerned about people in that way. The fact that he was very giving of knowledge speaks to his generous nature as well.
Everyone he worked with can vouch that he was a very, very skilled satellite engineer, sought after by so many different companies for his knowledge, and experience. Not just that, but he was always determined to never quit until the problem was solved and the job was done completely.
When I moved to Germany in 2008, we still kept in touch. Not much later, he and Nikki made a decision to move to Germany with the same company as me (DRS), and we were able to work together.
Tina, Nikki, Chris and I had a great time together - we would often have taco night and play spades together. Chris was very competitive when it came to games and took it pretty seriously. So it was nice that Tina and Nikki would let Chris and I win a lot of the time, you know… to inflate our egos and such, and to keep things civil.
In Germany, Chris traveled to some pretty cool locations as well (Rome, Greece) and sometimes, he was able to turn it into a mini-vacation with Nikki, where I’m sure plenty of great memories were made that Nikki will have with her forever.
They weren’t in Germany long when Chris and Nikki learned that they were expecting a new addition to their family. They were so excited and happy, and we were glad to welcome Leighton into the world while there.
Chris and Nikki lived in Germany for a relatively short time (18 months), and they ended up moving back to Virginia with our same company. Tina and I went stateside not long after.
By this point, Chris was the Manager of the RF Engineering team, and as my good fortune would have it, he was able to hire me to work for him. I worked remotely from Arizona, and visited Virginia for work occasionally. This afforded me opportunities to hang out with him, Nikki, and the boys in person.
We had a lot of great trips together. One of the best times we had together was when we went on a 5 week work trip to set up communication systems at a few large satellite uplink centers. This took us to Venice, Rome, Greece, and Germany, which was amazing.
Chris took a lot of trips and had a lot of adventures, but I have to say that his adventurous side did have some limitations. He wasn’t that much into exploring what new places had to offer. He probably would have just stayed in his hotel room on weekends and worked even when it was not necessary. I was able to convince him to experience some amazing places around Rome, Pompeii, the leaning tower of Pisa, Florence and the Amalfi Coast in Italy, the Parthenon in Greece, and many other attractions during our journeys. Also, he was a picky eater. Even in Italy with all the great food, he preferred to find a Hard Rock Cafe or some other place with American food, if you can imagine that.
One funny story is the drive through the Amalfi Coast in Italy. Imagine the thinnest roads full of cars, on a mountainside with a ton of tourists. Many parts of these roads were only one lane, where large tour buses would easily convince you that they have the right-of-way. Chris drove during that trip, and I can imagine that the steering wheel of that rental had permanent indentations where he was gripping onto it for dear life. That was a cool adventure and may have hastened the loss of our hair.
Another great adventure that he and I shared is when he sold his house in Missouri. It was a great chance for a road trip with a good friend so I flew out to his house there. That's when I met his parents, Sharon and Randy, and had a nice time. We stayed a day or two, went to Branson and Silver Dollar City, then finished loading the U-Haul, put his old Chevelle on the trailer and headed to Virginia. Long road trips are great for strengthening friendships so it was really nice to have that experience.
A few years ago Chris, Leighton, Logan and my son Matt met up in Denver, where we saw a Rockies game and had a great time. It rained on us, but we actually just put on ponchos and sat in the stands. I think that we all really just enjoyed being in the moment.
One of the last adventures we had included his kids and family. We met in Las Vegas, and had a really fun time. He mentioned that he wanted to see a hockey game, so we went to the arena hoping to buy tickets at the box office. As it turns out, Vegas hockey is very popular. There were no tickets available at the box office for that game. So I went online on my phone, and I found what I believe to be the last 4 available tickets and I pounced on them. This was early on in his battle with cancer, so I feel like it became more important for him to have experiences with his family and friends that were meaningful, because you just never know how much time you’re going to get. We all really had a great time - the Knights put on quite a hockey game with a quality show, which is no surprise seeing as how it is Vegas, after all.
Over the past number of years, Chris and I would talk regularly - pretty much every week or two, about whatever. More recently, it was about what cool Michael Jordan cards or other cool cards we picked up at our local stores. Chris got me back into trading cards after a couple decades. It was a fun hobby that we had in common. I think that for us, it was nice to connect with our younger selves. We had the same hobbies, taste in music, and many other things in common. I imagine we would have been great friends as kids if we knew each other then.
A little more about Chris…
Chris had a great sense of humor!! It was a mix of self-deprecation, sharp wit, and inappropriate observations and commentary. He was able to make those around him laugh all the time.
He took some things very seriously, like his private information, to the point where he refused to give his information to almost anyone. While it is good practice to not give your SSN, DOB, address and phone number out freely, Chris took it further than most. He almost exclusively used cash, which is very challenging in our increasingly cashless society.
I have plenty of examples during our travels of Chris’s concern for his private information, but maybe Nikki’s story illustrates this the most. When Leighton was born, Chris was in the room, as many dads are to support their wives. He never would take his backpack off (containing all of their documentation) in Nikki's hospital room during the whole process from labor to birth. I can only imagine what the nurses and doctors thought.
I suppose I understand it, with identity fraud and all…. Plus, Chris was very proud to have a Top Secret Clearance and would do everything in his power to make sure he kept it, so maybe his seemingly extreme stance was not all that extreme…
HE WAS DEDICATED TO HIS FAMILY: Family was the most important thing to Chris. I was able to ask Chris recently what he is most proud of. He didn’t even think twice before he said that his wife and kids were the thing that gave him the most pride in his life. Not the accomplishments at work or anything material. He would do anything for them and worked very hard to give them a great life.
HE WAS A GREAT FATHER: Chris was a great father to Leighton and Logan! This is evident when you talk to them. Chris taught them to be courteous and respectful to others. Or maybe it was Nikki. Or maybe it was genetics. But still, when the kids were younger, I got a kick out of it when I would see them after a while and they would call me Mr. Tim. Boys, I know that your dad was very proud of you and loved you very much!!
HE WAS GENEROUS: He always had the time to talk and share his knowledge, and often his material things. He gave me a few nice baseball cards that I will probably never get rid of. He loved to buy his family gifts when we were off on our travels.
AMBITION and WORK ETHIC: Chris was one of the hardest workers I have ever known. He worked long hours, often into the evenings and overnight. He had goals and ambitions. He was a leader. He wanted to move up the ranks and lead teams or projects. He finished a college degree in his early 40s, not because he needed the knowledge, but because it would open doors for him to move up. He was right. He had numerous technical certifications, partly for the same reason, but also because it kept his skills sharp in an environment where technologies advance rapidly. This drive to succeed also speaks to his determination to take care of his family.
ORGANIZED AND METICULOUS: He was very organized and meticulous with work and personal things. He took great care of his cars, his home and all of his things. When leaving Germany, he left his rental home in better shape than when he moved in. He paid attention to detail and was thorough, which is another key to his professional success.
REGRETS: So I asked him if he had any regrets and he said that he really didn’t have anything major that he regretted. He said that there were a small handful of instances when he treated people worse than they deserved, and for that he felt some regret but I’m sure we all feel that way at some point - I know I have… But overall, he didn’t regret any life choices he made or the path that his life took him and his family on.
I have read a lot of the tributes to Chris over the past week, and I am not sure if my words here have truly shown how great Chris was more than some of the things I’ve read!
To Nikki, Leighton, and Logan - anything you guys need, Tina and I will be there!!
I feel very privileged to have known Chris for all these years and call him my brother. I know that he has left a lasting impact on me, as he has for many of you. I will miss him very much, but will cherish the memories that I have of him, and will now think of him every time I look at my very first tattoo - an Air Jordan logo on my arm.
I have too many memories and great things to say about Chris! He was like a brother to me, and he was one of the best guys I know. It’s going to be hard to not be able to call and chat or go on any more adventures together!! To Nikki, Leighton, Logan and the rest of the family and friends of Chris - I am so sorry, and I will always be there for anything you need!
I remember Chis first from when we were kids in art class at Valley Springs High School. He enjoyed picking on me out of good fun. I was good friends with his sister Cristi and stayed at the their house a few times. They were cool because they moved to Arkansas from California and kids loved to relish in fun stories from other stats & larger towns. We all had fun, grew up, and then apart. But Chris had a way of making an effort to stay in touch and I'll forever miss him. My heart is broken for Nikki, their boys, Sharon & Randy, and Cristi.
