Larry James "Shep" Skala, 82, of Toledo, passed away Friday, February 14, 2020 at the Iowa River Hospice House in Marshalltown. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Tuesday, February 18, 2020 at 10:30 AM at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Tama. Interment will follow at St. Patrick Cemetery in Tama. Following the interment, the family will greet friends at a luncheon back at St. Patrick Catholic Church Parish Center. Visitation will be held Monday, February 17, 2020 from 5 - 7  PM at St. Patrick Catholic Church with a Vigil Service at 7 PM.

Larry was born on July 1, 1937, in Toledo, Iowa, the son of Edward and Genevieve (Zmolek) Skala.

He attended Catholic school and graduated from Tama High School in 1955.

On November 25, 1967, he was united in marriage to Mardis Schultz Norton at the St. Patrick Catholic Church in Tama. She passed away on December 29, 2004. On June 18, 2011, he married Marlene Davis Eernisse at Christ United Methodist Church in Toledo.

Larry worked for Cessford Contruction for forty-five years retiring early to take care of Mardis. He was a hobby farmer and proud of his cattle. Larry loved cars and Oliver Tractors and was a natural mechanic and a very hard worker. He was a member of the St. Patrick Catholic Church in Tama and Farm Bureau.

Survivors include his wife, Marlene Eernisse of Toledo; his children, Stacy (Jan) Skala of Toledo, Nancy (Mark) Drury of Le Grand, and Jason Skala of Toledo; Mardis' children, Cindy See of Marshalltown, and Roger (Julie) Norton of Lincoln, NE; Marlene's children, Brenda (Lynn) Maass of Corona, SD, Sandra Eernisse of Toledo, and Marcia (Martin) Hoskey of Toledo; twenty grandchildren; many great-grandchildren; two brothers, Patric (Katherine) Skala of Antioch, IL, and Mike (Jackie) Skala of Tama; and several nieces and nephews.

Preceding him in death were his parents, his first wife, Mardis; stepson, Gary Norton; two granddaughters, Taylor Skala, and Hannah Maass; one grandson, Justin Maass; two sisters, Mary Jo (Jim) Baker, and Nancy (Gordon) Cunningham.

Memorials may be directed to Iowa River Hospice in Marshalltown or St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Tama.