Rev. Mr. Malcolm Skipper, Sr. Obituary

Rev. Mr. Malcolm Jenks Skipper, Sr., died at home in Jenkinsville, SC, after a long illness on August 13, 2025. Known to his friends as Skip, Malcolm was born in Conway, SC, to the late Jenks Skipper and Anna Johnson. He married Gwendolyn McQuitty in July 1963. He was a graduate of Columbia High School and among the first graduates of Richland Technical Education Center (now Midlands Technical College), where he studied basic electronics and radio repair. After graduation, he worked at Soo Valley Corporation in Columbia as an electronics instrumentation technician, but his career and vocation lay in teaching. In the early 1970s, he joined the staff of the technical high school in Winnsboro, SC, where he taught electronics and piloted a vocational interdisciplinary program with teachers in math and English. Malcolm left Winnsboro in 1977 to lead the electronics program at the newly established Irmo-Chapin Career Center. During that time, Malcolm also taught part-time at Midlands Tech, joining the faculty full-time in 1984. He retired from Midlands Tech in 2000. His devotion to teaching was also evidenced in his ministry; he loved to study scripture and share his knowledge with others. After moving to Jenkinsville in 1989, he joined Little River Baptist Church and was quickly drafted to be a Sunday school teacher and later served as head deacon. It was here that a sermon on early church fathers piqued his interest in Catholicism, and he began attending RCIA meetings with his wife Gwen at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Columbia. He converted to Catholicism in 1999 and shortly after that was invited by the parochial vicar to sit in on a diaconate class. Malcolm was ordained as a permanent deacon on June 19, 2010, by Bishop Robert Guglielmone and served at St. Joseph Catholic Church before moving to Our Lady of the Lake in Chapin, SC. As a deacon, Malcolm led weekly Bible studies, counseled parishioners, and served at Mass. Malcolm was a ham radio enthusiast and a member of the South Carolina Healthcare Emergency Amateur Radio Team (SCHEART), a group of volunteers who provide alternate communication channels for hospitals, emergency management officials, and state agencies during emergencies and natural disasters. Malcolm was among a group of volunteers who worked to set up repeater stations throughout the state in the wake of Hurricane Hugo. His interest in radio extended to the collection and restoration of more than 100 antique radios, the earliest dating back to 1918. Malcolm was a member of the Lower Richland Masonic Lodge and of Jamil Temple, where we has a member of the Oriental Band. He is a former president of the Southeastern Oriental Band Association. Malcolm is survived by his wife of 62 years, Gwen; his son, Jenks (Jodi); his daughter, Tracy (Randall Dong); grandsons Matthew Skipper (Carlie) and Aidan Dong and granddaughter, Grace Skipper; his sister, Sophia Oaks (Jim); and brother, G. Robert Skipper; and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his brothers Marion B. Skipper and Dave M. Skipper. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:00 AM on Tuesday, August 19, 2025 by Rev. Dennis B. Willey at Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church, Chapin. The family wishes to thank the Newberry care team of Medical Services America and the Jenkinsville Volunteer Fire Department for their care and support over the last two years. The Rock Hill Oratory was central to Malcolm's faith formation. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be sent to the Oratory or Our Lady of the Lake in Chapin, SC. Memories and messages may be shared with the family here on his tribute page. Whitaker Funeral Home is honored to serve the family of Rev. Mr. Malcolm Jenks Skipper.