Sonja Louise Hansen Skelton

June 17, 1938 – August 27, 2024

Sonja Louise Hansen Skelton, 86, died comfortably and peacefully with the aid of the Hospice Burgundy Team and the memory care unit staff on Tuesday, August 27, 2024 at 8:39pm at Sable Palms Health and Rehabilitation Center (Largo, FL) in the Memory Care Unit after nine years of battling bladder cancer and the mental and physical devastation of severe Lewy body dementia.

Photos provided by Johnathan Fanning, Photographer and Retouch Artist (Clearwater, FL)

Sonja is survived by husband Robert T. "Bob" Skelton (Clearwater, FL); son Bruce S. Brown (Palm Harbor, FL); Ashley S. Brown, widow of Jeffrey J. Brown (North Palm Beach, FL); sister in law Elizabeth S. Hansen (Port Charlotte, FL); niece Amanda Ross Benedick (Olney, MD); grand niece Kathryn B. Ross (Bethesda, MD); cousins Iris Koley (Pasadena, MD) and Nancy G. Wyne (Gaithersburg, MD); sister in law Carolyn A. Blaney (Aliquippa, PA); niece Kelly R. Dzvonick (Aspinwall, PA) and her husband Steven J. Dzvonick; grand niece Giana N. Dzvonick (Aspinwall, PA) and distant Danish relatives Birthe Holm and Hans Erik Christensen and their daughters Charlotta and Stine.

Born on June 17, 1938 in Washington, D.C., Sonja was the daughter of the late Mary "Molly" McRobbie Hansen and Svend Hansen, long-time residents of Port Charlotte, FL and former residents of Oxen Hill, MD before relocating to Florida. Sonja was especially proud of her father's Danish and her mother's Scottish heritage. DaneScot was Sonja's auto license plate as well as the usual password for her computers and medical portals.

In addition to her beloved parents, Sonja was preceded in death by her brother Frank Hansen, her youngest son Jeffrey J. Brown and her first husband Barry S. Brown, career Army officer who served a tour of duty in Germany, two tours in Vietnam, and numerous ones in the United States during his 20 years of military service. Sonja and Barry met at Joint Base Andrews, a U. S. military facility located in Prince George's County, MD where they worked. They married on October 21, 1961 at Bells Methodist Church In Camp Springs, MD.

Their two sons, Bruce and Jeffrey, were born in the U. S. Army Hospital, Wurzburg, Germany in 1964 and 1966, respectively. Sonja counted more than 15 relocations of the family connected to her husband's military deployments. After his military retirement, Sonja and Barry raised their sons in the Amberlea sub-division in Dunedin, FL until their divorce in the early 1980s.

Sonja was a 1955 graduate of Oxen Hill (MD) High School where she excelled in academics and intramural sports. She was inducted into the school's National Honor Society. Her favorite school activity was playing the clarinet in the Marching Band along with her brother Frank who played the tuba. Sonja made it a priority to attend her Class Reunions for many years. Later, she earned an Associate's degree from St. Petersburg (FL) College.

On November 30, 1991, Sonja married her second husband Robert T. "Bob" Skelton at the Chapel by the Sea, Clearwater Beach, FL. They met in 1990 when Sonja worked for the U. S. Customs unit at Clearwater Beach and Bob was the Vice President for Development at Morton Plant Hospital Foundation (Clearwater). They were married for 33 years.

Bob was Sonja's sole caregiver for six years before Empath Suncoast Hospice's Aqua Team assisted him at home for two years until Sonja required full-time, specialized care at Sable Palms Health's Memory Care Unit starting on June 21, 2022.

Adaptability, perseverance, calmness and patience were four of Sonja's many qualities. During the early years of their marriage, Bob organized major capital fundraising campaigns for prominent hospitals from Connecticut to California. Sonja joined him while continuing her professional career with various organizations including the U. S. Attorney's Office (New Haven, CT), U. S. Bankruptcy Court (Santa Ana, CA), Piedmont Community College (Charlotte, NC), Merchants National Bank (Springfield, OH) and Rowan Helping Hands (Salisbury, NC).

At St. Joseph Hospital (Orange, CA), Sonja was received the prestigious "Valiant Woman" recognition by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange in 1993 for outstanding volunteer service at the hospital while her husband Bob was directing the successful $3 million fundraising campaign in support of a new emergency department.

Photos provided by Johnathan Fanning, Photographer and Retouch Artist (Clearwater, FL)

Prior to her federal government service with U. S. Customs in the Clearwater Beach office, Sonja was a realtor specializing in Pinellas County, FL properties and served as an administrative assistant for several commercial enterprises in the Tampa Bay area.

Sonja was an avid reader. Historical events, biographies and politics were her favorite subjects. Politically, Sonja was a life-long, true blue Democrat as was her brother Frank. Sonja would frequently joke and ask: Why are all of my best friends Republican?

Her fascination with politics and criminal justice peaked in the late 1980s when the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) was charged in 1988 in Tampa for its involvement in money laundering, arms sales, drug trafficking and other financial crimes. On the staff at the Tampa office of the U. S. Customs, Sonja had major responsibilities in preparing documents and other evidence for BCCI's prosecution. The six month trial starting in 1990 was the outcome of the undercover  operation of Tampa Customs Agent Robert Mazur to infiltrate the criminal network of Colombian drug kingpin Pablo Escobar. On July 30, 1990, five international bankers and a Colombian business man were found guilty of scheming to launder 14 million dollars for the Medellin Cartel. Mazur's book, The Infiltrator, provided the basis for the highly successful 2016 crime thriller movie, The Infiltrator, featuring Bryan Cranston, Benjamin Bratt and Olympia Dukakis among others.

Sonja was an avid collector of Occupied Japan figurines and secured over 2,000 unique pieces. Occupied Japan refers to items manufactured at the end of World War II in Japan from 1945 to 1952 and featuring the "Made in Occupied Japan" marking. Sonja attended several national conventions of Occupied Japan collectors.

Gardening and art were two of her other major interests. While residing in North Carolina (2000 to 2013), she earned the prestigious designation as a Master Gardener in Rowan County (Salisbury Chapter) and in Nash County (Rocky Mount Chapter). In Salisbury, she earned Certificates of Appreciation (2004 & 2005). In 2007, Sonja was elected President of the Master Gardner program and earned the distinguished recognition as a "Silver Can" Award Winner for her outstanding service to the chapter and community. Her most enjoyable times and favorite memories were doing gardening-related projects, enjoying day trips and participating in conferences with her cherished Master Gardener best friends Carole A. Massey, Jean Lamb and Carolyn H. Alexander. Sonja loved Carole as a close sister!

Along with being a Master Gardener member in Salisbury. Sonja was an active member of the Rose Society and the National Association of Retired Federal Employees (NARFE). She held several officer positions in NARFE's Salisbury Chapter beginning in 2000 and was elected President in 2022. In addition, Sonja was involved for 10 years in the Auxiliary at Salisbury's Rowan Regional Medical Center where her husband Bob served as the Executive Director of the hospital's Foundation for 10 years. For several of the Foundation's Patrons Balls, Sonja assisted in designing and creating the major theme items for the popular black tie-dinner dance fundraiser.

In Salisbury, at the annual Rowan County Fair, Sonja won dozens of First place blue ribbons for her artwork and craft projects.

In 2010, The Skelton's moved from Salisbury when Bob was hired as a corporate officer for the Nash Healthcare System (Rocky Mount, NC) and served as the chief development officer for the System's foundation. His Major challenges were to organize a $3 million dollar fundraising campaign in support of a separate Children's Emergency Department at Nash General Hospital and to organize an annual black-tie dinner dance and golf tournament. Those projects were successfully completed in early 2013.

As he promised Sonja, he retired ending his 35-year professional fundraising career and they moved to Palm Harbor, FL in April 2013. Sonja's son Bruce lived in that community and Bob's sister Cathy lived in nearby Dunedin. Jeff, Sonja's youngest son lived with Bob and her for several months in 2013 before he moved West to Palm Beach for a job opportunity at Whole Foods.

For nearly 20 years, art and painting brought special joy to Sonja. Here interest and skills in art peaked with lessons and tips from Cara Rische in Salisbury (NC) and Susan "Sue" Church Grant in Rocky Mount (NC) as well from fellow artists in Dunedin and Clearwater (FL). Sonja received much acclaim for her still life acrylics and for her watercolors of lemons and water drops. She participated in numerous Bob Ross painting workshops for fun and relaxation especially the one with her brother Frank and his wife Elizabeth ("Betty"). Periodically, Sonja took special lessons at the Dunedin (FL) Fine Arts Center and became a member of The Sterling Society at the Center for her generous annual financial contributions.

Assembling puzzles of animals, birds, flowers and nature scenes was Sonja's favorite family activity with her sons Bruce and Jeff, brother Frank and sisters in law Ashley Brown and Betty Hansen. Sonja joyously shouted, "I found a piece!" when she did. She always had the fun and honor of putting the final piece in place as insisted by her family. Her son Bruce provided most of the puzzles as well as the time to assist Sonja in completing them. When completed, Bruce taped the back of the puzzles to facilitate their display in Sonja and Bob's 3-story townhome in the Countryside section of Clearwater.

A life well lived in Sonja's legacy featuring many happy times and numerous heart breaks like those we all have experienced!

Her pleasant personality, demure smile, loyal friendship, enjoyable humor and sparkling eyes will be missed but will always be remembered and appreciated by her family, friends, fellow volunteers, and co-workers. Sonja was a special blessing to all who knew her.

The Skelton/Hansen/Brown family members extend their grateful appreciation to the staff at at Sabal Palms Health and Rehabilitation (Largo, FL) for their outstanding service and compassionate, comprehensive care provide for two years (2022 to 2024) to Sonja. They especially praise the Memory Care Unit staff and others who interacted frequently with Sonja: CNAs Tory "Sheddie" Cox, Matthew Powell, Larry Evans, Danmay Garcia Perez  and Jadae Wells. Unit Nurse, Debra Lavere. Nursing Supervisor Toni Sarlo. Social Services Coordinator Mariluz Gonzalez. Dietician Christa Baxter. Director of Culinary Operations Joanne Rossi. Housekeeping Director Nacole Jones and Dental Hygienist Donna Yanus (Sheridan Dental).

Also, Sonja's family members express special gratefulness to the Aqua and Burgundy Teams at Empath Suncoast Hospice especially to RNs Lisa Barzycki, Michaela Guggi, and Lisa Tran; Social Services Counselors Susan Wilkie and  Sue Nellis ;Chaplain Laura Berkson and Aide Tawanda Gulley for their kindhearted, professional attention to Sonja during her final months. Special acknowledgement and gratitude to Humana Healthy Horizons in general and to Shellyann Hemmings, Care Coordinator, in particular for making it possible for Sonja to receive specialized care at Sabal Palms Health. (Largo, FL)

Elder Law Attorney Sean W. Scott (Largo, FL) and his staff (Melanie, Anita, Michelle, Karla and June) have the heartfelt gratitude of Sonja's family for initiating, facilitating and finalizing the admission of Sonja to the Memory Care Unit at Sabal Palms Health and Rehabilitation Center (Largo, FL) in June 21, 2022.

Memorial contributions may be made in Sonja's memory to her most favorite and enjoyable organization: Rowan County Master Gardeners Association, 2727A Old Concord Road, Salisbury, NC 28146  Attention: Carole Massey.

As were her parents Mary and Svend Hansen, brother Frank and son Jeffrey, Sonja was cremated. Her ashes were distributed in the water of the Gulf of Mexico where she enjoyed swimming, sunbathing and people watching at Clearwater Beach. Final arrangements were handled by Mary Beth Hansen and Morgan Murphy at Baldwin Brothers Funeral and Cremation, 7210 Ulmerton Road, Largo, FL 33771.