Floyd E. Skarky

Floyd Eldon Skarky was born March 20, 1938, in Enid, Oklahoma, to Fred and Vernice Skarky. Floyd, 87, passed away peacefully surrounded by family on May 22, 2025.

Floyd graduated from Enid High School in 1956. He was class president all three years. Wearing #32, Skarky was a three-year starter on the Plainsman basketball team and made the All-State team as a senior. Floyd finished as the all-time career scoring leader in Enid High School history. Recruited by OSU, Kansas, and Penn, he chose the University of Oklahoma and received a basketball scholarship. At OU, he also was a member of ROTC and Phi Delta Theta fraternity.

Graduating OU with a business degree, he served his country for two years as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army, commanding an artillery battery. After a short stint in real estate, he returned to OU for his pre-dental coursework and found his true calling at the UMKC College of Dentistry. Floyd was voted Outstanding Senior Dental Student of the Class of 1969.

While at UMKC, he met the love of his life, Linda Jane Browning, in the law library. After a post-graduate year in general dentistry, they were married on January 24, 1970, in Kansas City. They moved to OKC later that year and bought a dental practice downtown in the First National Bank building. Floyd was an award-winning part-time instructor at the University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry from 1970-81. He was beloved by his students. His patients loved his concern for their comfort, his accuracy, and the humor he brought into the operatory.

In 1971, Floyd and Linda welcomed their first child, Steve, into the world, and three and a half years later rounded out the family quartet with the birth of Brent in 1975. Floyd was a loving and supportive father, coaching his sons’ little league soccer, basketball, and baseball teams. He alternated taking his sons, Linda, and friends to OU home football games for more than 40 years.

Floyd was religious about his 4:30 a.m. wakeups and four-mile runs in New Balance 998 shoes (whether in style or otherwise) with Boomer, his trusty sidekick West Highland White Terrier. He was a fan of high-fiber breakfast cereals, popcorn and all snacks salty, and sports talk radio with Al Eischbach.

In his later years, he continued his dental practice, lecturing at CE conferences and passing on to the next generation of dentists a wealth of knowledge on dental occlusion not acquired in school. With his chairside assistant of 41 years, Diana Carrol Montgomery, by his side, Floyd used his equilibration talent to alleviate headaches and ear discomfort and burning TMJ pain. His patients lovingly called him their “chop, chop, chop!!!” dentist.

Floyd was totally engaged with dentistry, inventing several devices he made available to other dentists.

He was a proud grandparent, attending all of his three grandchildren’s sporting events and school functions. “Papa” loved to do his Donald Duck impersonation and silly faces to their delight.

Floyd is survived by his wife of 55 years, Linda; his two sons, Steve and Brent; his older sister and brother-in-law, Juanita and David Maciel; younger brother, Earl Skarky and his wife Sandra; and his grandchildren, Kate, Jack, and Will. He will be fondly remembered by many in-laws, nieces, nephews, and decades-long friends.

A memorial service will be held on Friday, June 6, 2025, at 2 p.m. at Mayflower Congregational Church, 3901 NW 63rd St., in Oklahoma City.

In lieu of flowers, Floyd and his family wish for donations to be made to your favorite charity in his honor.