Gregory Clinton Skoog

CW4 (ret.) Gregory Clinton Skoog, known affectionately as Black Jack the Pirate, was born on August 10, 1947, in Brainerd, Minnesota, to Clinton and LaVon Skoog. He passed away on March 8, 2026, surrounded by family. As an Army military brat, Greg spent his childhood moving between Colorado, the Chicago area, Brainerd, Ft. Holabird in Maryland, Japan, and Pontiac, Michigan. He met the love of his life, Nancy Graham, at a church youth group Christmas party, and they married in June 1968.

Drafted into the US Army later that year, Greg served his country with pride for more than 25 years. Following his time in Vietnam, he and Nancy lived in Germany, Ft. Bragg, North Carolina, England, Washington D.C., and again in Germany before returning to D.C. Along the way, they raised four children: Lynae, Melanie, Kristen, and Gary. After his retirement, they built a home in Brainerd, where Greg finally put down roots and embraced a lasting sense of community. A devoted elder in his church, he attended services faithfully every Sunday no matter where life took him, even in his later years when he relied on a walker or wheelchair. He also volunteered at Harrison Elementary School, listening to children read, an experience that, along with entertaining his son Gary, inspired him to create the beloved character Black Jack the Pirate. For many years he visited first-grade classrooms throughout the district and in Virginia for his grandsons, bringing joy and laughter to countless children.

Greg loved the outdoors and the thrill of riding his motorcycle, snowmobile, and four-wheeler. He took great satisfaction in cutting wood to heat their home, a pursuit that kept him busy even when the rest of the family was less enthusiastic about helping. He was an avid sportsman who particularly enjoyed baseball, archery, hunting, and racquetball, and he found quiet pleasure in working crossword puzzles during his retirement.

He is survived by his wife of nearly 58 years, Nancy (Graham) Skoog; daughters Lynae Knott Young (Jeffrey) of Virginia, Melanie Patton (Matthew) of Alabama, and Kristen Spielman (William); son Gary of Brainerd; grandsons Travis Knott (fiancé Alyssa), Stefan Knott (Jade), and Michael “Robbie” Knott, all of Virginia; sister Cynthia Farnsworth of Wisconsin; sister-in-law Deborah Pyke (Daniel) of Michigan; and several nieces and nephews. Greg was predeceased by his parents, Clinton and LaVon Skoog; grandparents Floyd and Leora Olson and Myer and Nora Skoog; sister-in-law Barbara Graham; and brother-in-law Dennis Farnsworth.