Stephen Christopher Skaggs

Stephen Christopher Skaggs (52) of North Kingstown passed away on June 12 after a long battle with heart disease. He was born on September 29, 1968 in Warwick, Rhode Island to Arthur and Carolyn (Christopher) Skaggs. Stephen grew up in Kingston and graduated from South Kingstown High School and then from New England Tractor Trailer Training School. He spent the next 25 years crisscrossing the country as a long-haul trucker driving nearly 3 million miles through 48 states and 6 provinces of Canada. For 17 years, Steve was accompanied by his faithful cat, Gizmo. Stephen was involved with the Trucker Buddy International pen pal program where professional drivers are paired with school classrooms. The driver communicates with the class through the teacher who incorporates geography and math as well as reading and writing skills into the classroom. Stephen was a fan of country music and enjoyed singing and playing the guitar. Building truck models and reading history were among his other interests. In addition to his parents, Stephen is survived by his siblings: Daniel (Bunny) Skaggs of Bethel Park, PA, Mary Carpenter (Robert) of Narragansett, Nancy Perry (Charles) of Smithfield, NC, Jody Skaggs (Medina Young) of Wakefield, and David Skaggs (Christine) of Exeter. A funeral service will be held on Thursday, June 17, 2021 at 10am in First Baptist Church in Wickford, 44 Main St, North Kingstown, RI. Burial will follow in New Fernwood Cemetery, Kingston. Calling hours will be held on Wednesday, June 16, 2021 from 5-7pm in Avery-Storti Funeral Home, 88 Columbia St, Wakefield. In lieu of flowers donations in Stephen’s name may be made to a charity of your choice.