Henry "Hank" Wayne Skerry Sr.

Henry Wayne "Hank" Skerry, Sr. 82, a former longtime resident of Keene, NH, passed away on March 16, 2024 at his home in Southwick, MA surrounded by his family including his wife of 63 years, Patricia Provencher Skerry.

In addition to being a loving husband, son, brother, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, loyal friend and mentor to many, Hank had an exciting professional career that included time in the minor leagues as a pitcher and service as a NH State Trooper. He was a successful entrepreneur, a nationally recognized salesman in the wholesale millwork industry, and proud owner of the North Atlantic Millwork Company (NAMCO). He was a member of professional associations including National Sash and Door Jobbers Association, and The Fraternal Order of the Forest Products Industry (International Order of Hoo-Hoo), one of the longest standing industry service clubs in the world. Hank was a 1959 graduate of Keene High School.

Hank regularly volunteered his time to keep local foodbanks well stocked wherever he lived and visited the elderly and anyone else he thought needed a friend. He is famous for keeping the nuns associated with St. Bernard’s in Keene supplied with Maine lobsters and beer!

Hank was the life of the party and would create a party even when one wasn’t planned. He died peacefully listening to his favorite playlist curated by his granddaughter Mikhaila; he sang for as long as he had breath. He will miss the parties we will have in his honor, and he will be greatly missed by many. The family invites you to play some good music, raise a toast to Hank, and keep his memory alive.

Hank is survived by his wife, Patricia Provencher Skerry, of Southwick, MA; daughter Elizabeth Skerry-Hastings, of Westfield, MA and son-in-law Bruce Hastings of Westfield, MA; daughter Christa Skerry White and her husband Guy, of Alexandria, VA; son Matthew Skerry and his wife Clare, of Kittery, ME; daughter-in-law Paris Colt of Providence, RI, widow of his son Henry; grandchildren (who all called him Banky) Mikhaila Skerry Leonard and her husband Steven, of Westfield, MA; Mattthew Hastings, of Westfield, MA, Hank’s lunch buddy; Alexandra Skerry, of Brooklyn, NY; Deirdre Skerry Blackley and her husband, Reed of Raleigh, NC; Gideon Skerry, of Providence, RI; Sylvia Skerry, of Providence, RI; and his great granddaughter Sloane Blackley, of Raleigh, NC. Hank was predeceased by his oldest son, Henry Wayne Skerry, Jr. (1961-1999); his parents, Henry R. and Edna Knott Skerry of Keene, NH; his sister Judith Stanclift of Keene, NH; his brother Gerald Nye of Keene, NH; and his favorite dog, Luke.

A mass of Christian burial will be celebrated on Friday, April 5, 2024 at 11:00 am in St. Bernard Church, 185 Main Street, Keene. Burial in the Riverside Cemetery, Chesham, NH, will be held at a later date. There are no public calling hours.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Hank’s memory to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105; or to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, PO Box 849168, Boston, MA 02284-9168; or to the Community Kitchen, PO Box 1315, Keene, NH 03431, which feeds those in need in the Monadnock Region.