Tara Skelton

Tara MayAnn Skelton, 47, peacefully passed away to be with her Lord and Savior on June 17, 2024, at Ignite Medical Resort in Kansas City, surrounded by her loving family, after bravely battling cancer.

Tara was born on November 24, 1976, in Independence, IA, the cherished daughter of David and Connie (Ohrt) Traver. She married Micheal Dennis Skelton of Wesley, AR, on July 26, 1997, who survives her at their home.

She is survived by her devoted son, Montana Lane (Brittany) Skelton of Richmond; two beloved daughters, GraceAnn (Kaden) Akins of Hollister and Michayla Skelton of the home; her precious granddaughter, Sadie Jane Skelton; her father, David (Charlene) Traver of Manchester, IA; her mother and dad, Connie (Gary) Netherton of Richmond; and her brothers, Zach Netherton of Richmond and Jason (Kelly) Netherton of TegaCay, SC; father-in-law, Gene Skelton of Mount Pleasant, TN; brother and sister-in-law, Farrel and Katie Skelton of Mount Pleasant, TN; and nephew, Brody Skelton.

Tara was born November 24, 1976, also known as a bicentennial baby, and was raised with her younger brother Zach. While growing up, she participated in cheer, choir, art, was vice president of the FFA, and excelled in track, for which she had received a college scholarship. She graduated from Tri-County High School in the class of 1995.

In the year of 1997, Michael and Tara met while working at Lowes in Fayetteville, AR. There, Tara was a Front-End Manager and Michael a lawn & garden associate. They went on their first date on March 31, 1997, Easter Sunday, where they went to the pool hall and bowling. Four months later, they were married on July 26, 1997, in Wesley, AR, on the hillside of their property.

After two and a half years of trying to conceive, Michael and Tara were blessed with their first child, Montana, who was born on October 6, 2000. Michael and Tara were once again blessed with their second child, GraceAnn, who was born on April 26, 2004. On November 13, 2007, Tara, Montana, and GraceAnn were involved in a terrible car wreck. While Tara was in the hospital, she was informed of being pregnant with a child, Michayla. Tara argued that she was there for a car wreck and not a pregnancy. However, they were finally able to convince her that she was there for a car wreck, but she also happened to be pregnant. On July 21, 2008, the miracle, Michayla, was brought into the world as a healthy baby despite the challenges the wreck had put on the likelihood of the pregnancy.

Around a year after Michayla was born, Tara and her family moved to Iowa a year before they moved to Missouri in 2010. On April 26, 2014, Tara, while roller-skating at GraceAnn’s 10th birthday party, spiral broke her left ankle. On August 31, 2018, she broke the ball of her hip and on September 4, 2018, she was taken to the emergency room where they found the cancer had spread to her bones causing calcium to leak into her bloodstream. She spent the following 28 days at North Kansas City Hospital in the ICU and rehab. Tara fought through all of these ups and downs through the years where she was able to see her first son, Montana, marry his wife, Brittany, on August 21, 2021. She got to see GraceAnn begin college in the Fall of 2022. She got to see the birth of her first grandchild Sadie Jane Skelton and watch her grow a personality. And she got to witness her second child, GraceAnn, marry her husband, Kaden, on May 25, 2024.

Tara enjoyed dancing, scrapbooking, drawing, movies, going to the ballet, spending time with her family, playing board games, exercising her competitiveness, hosting parties, festivals, music, vocalist (which she was very good at), and taking her kids to constantly experience new things. Tara was also very involved in the community. She was involved in PTO, dance, band booster, youth cheerleading coach, FFA, high school level cheerleading, substitute teaching, and involved in all of her kid’s various sports and activities.

She would always make sure to tell us her favorite saying anytime any of us kids left the house: “be blessed and be a blessing.”

The family suggests memorial contributions be made to the Tara MayAnn Skelton Memorial Fund. They can be mailed or dropped off, in care of the family, to Thurman Funeral Home, 507 East Main Street-P.O. Box 190, Richmond, MO 64085.

Visitation will be held on Sunday, June 23, 2024, from 4:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. at Rayville Christian Union Church. Funeral services will be held on Monday, June 24, 2024, at 11:00 A.M. at the Church. Interment will follow services in Crowley Cemetery, Rayville. Please remember to share your memories of Tara with the family by visiting www.thurmanfuneralhome.com.