Sean C. Morgan
James “Skip” Stock and his brother Ted performed many funerals together, but Skip always made sure they were not morose affairs.
“He allowed crying, but he demanded laughter, so this is a celebration of life,” Ted told hundreds of friends and family members who joined the Stock family at Northwest Christian University in the Morse Event Center in Eugene Sunday afternoon, Oct. 28, to remember Skip, who died Oct. 20 at age 67.
“Skip loved people,” Ted said. “If he was sitting next to you, by now he would know your life story. You’d tell him things you’d never tell your wife, but he would come home and tell me.”
Across the street from the Morse Center is what used to be the university’s administration building, Ted said. A fire escape ran up the side. As a student at Northwest Christian, Skip would climb that fire escape around midnight. At the top, he would find his favorite professor, Song Rhee, and they would “change the world,” chatting for hours. Rhee later became academic dean emeritus.
“About 10 years ago, Skip and I held hands, and we gave each other a big hug,” Rhee said Sunday. “After coming home that night, I wrote him a letter. It is my personal tribute to Skip.”
“I used to think angels were beautiful maidens flying around in white pajamas until I met you,” the letter said. “They rescue those in trouble, comfort those in sorrow, encourage those in despair, visit the sick and dying, defend the weak and the forgotten and love those who feel alone and rejected.
“You have been an angel here on earth,” Rhee said. “With an angelic touch, you have blessed so many. You have learned well in the halls of learning on this campus.”
Skip learned the Gospel and lived it in his heart, Rhee said. He took his faith seriously.
“You have called me a mentor, and I lift you up as my model student for exceeding your mentor,” Rhee said. “I’ll miss the times we spent together. I’ll miss your hearty laughter. I’ll miss all the lofty theological conversations we have had. I will miss your silly jokes and the teasing, though a little rough at times, like calling me ‘honorable professor’ one day and ‘Chinaman’ the next. For 50 years, you have been my angel in your own unique way.
“You helped me when I was in need. You helped me when I was in sorrow. You held my hand when I was in despair. You have helped me as if I was your brother. Till we meet again, shalom, shalom.”
Skip was born on Feb. 11, 1945 in Lebanon to James E. and Frances K. (Morris) Stock. He was the oldest of four boys and a girl.
Their father bought a big boat when Skip was little, Ted said. He quickly became Dad’s “little skipper.” By age 3, he was “Skip.”
He graduated from Sweet Home High School, where he was student body president, in 1963 and earned his bachelor’s degree from Northwest Christian College in 1967 and a master of science degree from the University of Oregon in 1968.
He married Sylvia Del Dornhecker on Aug. 12, 1967 in Portland.
In 1968, they moved to Santa Ana, Calif., where he was associate minister at Santa Ana First Christian Church.
They tried to change his name in California, but it wouldn’t take, Ted said.
He returned to Oregon in 1974 as “Skip.”
That year, Ted and Skip became business partners, Ted said. Skip became the public face of the family company that cut timber, managed U.S. Forest Service contracts and handled legal matters.
In 1985, he served as president of the Northwest Timber Trade Association, Ted said. That kept him busy lobbying in Washington, D.C.
“He was my brother, my business partner, my friend and my pastor,” Ted said. Even though he didn’t carry the title of pastor after 1974, he never quit giving when there was a need.
“Skip’s life was shorter than we hoped for, but it was wide, wide and very deep,” Ted said. “He left his sons and daughters a deep heritage that they can be proud of. I’m going to miss him.”
Skip’s brother-in-law, Doug Dornhecker recalled a story in a Christian magazine about the four characteristics of a great leader.
First, they have charisma, an intangible trait that distinguishes a great leader from ordinary people, Dornhecker said. A charismatic leader “inspires and captivates others with passion and presence. Even if you don’t know them, they make you feel like you’re friends.”
That was true of Skip in high school, and it was true of him a month ago, Dornhecker said. He captivated people with a disarming presence, a way of treating people that drew them to him, almost like God saying, “Do not fear, for I am with you.” He related well to friends and strangers.
The second trait is dominance, Dornhecker said. People like this are hard-charging and persuasive, motivating others by sheer force of will. They constantly push things forward and rally people around their ideas.
“That’s Skip, and I say that affectionately after a lifetime of relenting,” Dornhecker said. “He got his way, and he made me smile while I did it.”
Dornhecker calls it being “skipperized.”
The third trait is gregariousness, Dornhecker said, and that’s seeking and enjoying the company of others, relating comfortably with people of different backgrounds and personalities. Christian leadership is the art of chat and making people feel at ease.
People quickly felt at ease around Skip, Dornhecker said. One of Skip’s cardiologist friends told Dornhecker this story:
He and Skip were riding their BMW motorcycles on Interstate 10 in west Texas in 2001. A state trooper clocked them at 125 mph.
“We were, of course, pulled over. Skip pulled off his helmet as the officer approached, ‘Officer, we sure do appreciate the use of your highway. I took a racing course at Portland International Raceway, and I have to tell you, it was not nearly as fun as the last 100 miles.’”
Before it was over, Skip and the cardiologist were standing on the side of the road with the policeman praying, praising and giving thanks to God, Skip and the cardiologist with newly written traffic citations in their hands.
That’s gregariousness, Dornhecker said, suggesting, that confidence, not arrogance or pushiness, enables a man to work in a hostile culture, to understand that everyone is dealing with their own problems, that everyone is on the same page.
Skip had that confidence and knew people better than they may have wanted to be known, Dornhecker said. He knew them “on the same equal foundation of God’s eternal love that He made known on the cross of Jesus Christ, the ultimate symbol of human failure.”
The fourth trait is “superstardom,” Dornhecker said, noting that he doesn’t like the word much in the context of Christianity, but that was Skip too.
Most Christians have expectations of their leaders that no one can really fill, Dornhecker said. They have to preach, act like a CEO and always be there night and day. They must be movers and shakers.
These qualities seldom come in one person, but the ability to excel in more than one area is the equivalent of superstardom, Dornhecker said, adding he experienced Skip as a “superstar.”
Skip knew that it wasn’t how much “you owe” or are owed, Dornhecker said. He knew “you don’t own anything.” He invested in Northwest Christian University, where his family has a history since 1951, spanning four generations.
“He was determined to see the influence of this school not only continue but expand,” Dornhecker said. “He was the leader of us. We still have the privilege and the responsibility of following. Thanks, Skip for the song you sang with such joy, for the life you shared with such generosity.”