Renton artist swept to sea by rogue wave

John Skoor had just finished having dinner with his wife and sister Monday evening in the Mexican resort town of Cabo San Lucas when they decided to take a walk along the picturesque beach.

Miles off shore, a brewing hurricane with winds clocked up to 110 mph was bearing down on the resort cities and villages along the southern tip of the Baja Peninsula, churning up the surf. A rogue wave crashed into the Skoors, sweeping John out to sea.

His wife crawled to safety, and his sister, Debbie Fenske, swam out to try to rescue Mr. Skoor, but she had to be rescued by employees from a nearby hotel. The Renton man had still not been found Wednesday and was presumed drowned.

Rogue waves, far bigger than any surrounding them, can occur during storms or calmer seas, and almost anywhere, although it appears they occur more frequently where there are strong currents, such as the Gulf Stream off the eastern coast of North America.

As relatives and friends of Mr. Skoor continued to grapple with the news, they were also inundated with kind words and remembrances from the many people whose lives were touched by him and his wife.

"We are getting messages from all over the world telling us that John was an angel in our midst," said Skoor's brother, Bob Skoor, of Moses Lake. "All I can tell you about my brother is that he is a person who has tried his whole life to help people. He and my sister-in-law accepted everyone and treated all people, regardless of means or status, the same as they would have treated a king."

Mr. Skoor, 66, was a lay minister and an artist who taught at local universities and with Dale Chihuly's Seniors Making Art project, which provides free art classes to senior citizens. His wife, Susan Skoor, is a minister at the Community of Christ Church in Renton and a member of the church council.

Susan spoke with her brother-in-law earlier this week by phone and told him she escaped the rogue wave by crawling for safety as hard as she could. Debbie Fenske, who went into the sea to help her brother, was rescued by the staff of a nearby hotel, he said.

"Debbie said she said to John, 'I don't think we're going to make it,' and he said, 'No, I love you, Deborah. We are going to a better place.' "

Skoor was born Dec. 14, 1939, in Mount Vernon and was raised in Seattle with two sisters and a brother. He graduated from Cleveland High School, attended Graceland College in Iowa and earned a master's degree in fine art at Central Washington University. He taught at numerous private and public schools at the high-school and college level.

He and his wife were married for 35 years and have two grown daughters, Marie Shipley, of Vashon Island, and Christie Skoorsmith, of West Seattle, and one granddaughter, Grace.

Mr. Skoor was committed to his church, his brother said. The Community of Christ Church is similar to the Quakers in its views on peace, equality and justice, Bob Skoor said.

Mr. Skoor, who also occasionally preached at the church, and his family had an open-door policy at their Renton home, providing food, shelter and solace to countless people over the years.

They once helped a 12-member family of Russian immigrants resettle in the area, said Bob Skoor, a retired minister with the church.

On Wednesday, hurricane Paul, which had spawned the rogue wave that hit the Skoors, was downgraded to a tropical storm, with winds down to near 45 mph. It was centered about 65 miles northwest of Mazatlan and was moving northeast at about 16 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

The storm was expected to make landfall late Wednesday night or early today and could dump as much as 10 inches of rain, threatening flooding, according to the National Hurricane Center. Skoor's wife and sister will remain in Mexico until the airports are expected to reopen later this week, Bob Skoor said.

A memorial service will be planned upon their return.

"I can tell you one thing, we will be celebrating his life," he said. "John always found a way to make things positive. He lived for peace."

Christine Clarridge: 206-464-8983 or cclarridge@seattletimes.com

Information from The Associated Press is included in this report.