Angela Rose Skala

Angela Rose Skala, 53, of Carpentersville, formerly of Quincy, died Thursday afternoon, July 11, 2024, at home after a brief illness.

Angela was born January 11, 1971, in Iowa City, the daughter of Anthony and Jane Lynn (Galloway) Cameron. Her pre-college education was in the Quincy Public Schools, leading to her graduation with Honors from Quincy High School in 1989. She lettered as a member of the Pom-Pom squad all four years. She particularly enjoyed her time at Madison School, where she would walk to school with friends and then go play in the Jersey Street “Triangle” or on a trusted neighbor’s trampoline.

She learned discipline and made lifetime friends as a member of the Kathy Burnett Dance Company (Junior and Senior).

While she was an “only child,” she didn’t grow up as one. She was raised in the same home as her cherished cousin, Brigham Kye Sweet, now of Chicago. They were one another’s biggest fans.

Angie’s college education began while she was still in High School through earned college “escrow” credits. Her ensuing higher education was a geography lesson. She studied culinary arts at Joliet Junior College, Hotel Restaurant and Tourism Management at the University of New Orleans, and Business Management at Arkansas State University. She earned a Bachelor of Arts with Honors from the Chicagoland campus of the University of Phoenix. She continued her education in plastics, sanitation practice, and food handling, including lengthy programs at Princeton and Xavier Universities. She held proficiency certificates in numerous food and beverage packaging, sanitation, and industrial safety disciplines.

Angie married Scott Brady Nantz in October 1996. Scott passed away in the mid-2000s.

On July 7, 2007, she married David W. Skala. They celebrated their 17th anniversary with family just four days before Angie’s death.

Perhaps the most eventful month in their family life was November of 2009. On November 10, Isaiah David Skala’s arrival made Angie a mother. Less than two weeks later, she received her degree with Honors.

On December 4, 2012, Dave and Angie were again blessed with April Rose Skala. They enthusiastically embraced each child’s activities.

Angie’s professional career developed from her mastery of both food safety and the use of plastics in packaging. Since her early teens, she had an interest in food safety. After culinary school, she worked in the food service industry, sharpening her food safety and handling skills. Then, while going to college, she took a job in the plastics industry. That became her new fascination. She consumed every information source on the subject and attended every training possible. Her grasp of these two disciplines created a demand. Her skill set ultimately led to her being recruited by PepsiCo to develop and supervise more modern and safer product packaging and production.

When PepsiCo entered a strategic partnership to create new Tropicana products and packaging, the partner insisted on her skills coming over to the startup. Recognizing her unique background, the new company elevated her to management. Angie was in her element on a production floor in steel-toed boots and a safety vest, ensuring “runs” of new product packaging were seamless.

She loved her work, despite knowing when anything went wrong in a production line, she would be on the next plane to make it right. She was identified at Pepsico and Tropicana as a skilled team-builder. Ever the food service professional, she viewed her number one job when visiting a plant as “make sure the production workers get fed!”

Although she was confirmed as a United Methodist, Angie enthusiastically participated in the wonderful community surrounding St. Catherine of Siena Church and school. She often expressed gratitude for having had her children educated there.

Angie’s interests were many and varied. She loved almost all kinds of music and had a beautiful singing voice. She cheered for the St. Catherine Spartans, Chicago Cubs and the Kansas City Chiefs. She “mothered” all the neighborhood children and rarely stopped talking about her cats.

Survivors in addition to her husband are her son, Isaiah David Skala, and her daughter, April Rose Skala, both of Carpentersville, her cousin and quasi-sibling, Brigham Sweet (Rita Frank) of Chicago, her parents, Anthony and Jane Lynn Cameron of Quincy, her Mother-in-Law, Shirley Skala, of Little River; South Carolina, and her God-Daughter/cousin, Amanda Cameron as well as numerous cousins. She was preceded in death by Scott Nantz.

The funeral was held Thursday, July 18, 2024, with a service at Davenport Family Funeral Home, 149 W Main, Barrington, IL 60010.

The burial was held Friday, July 19, 2024, at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery, 20953 W. Hoff Road, Elwood, IL. 60421.

Memorials may be made to Isaiah and April’s Education Fund (GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/ad573ea5) or by conventional donation at the funeral home or to St. Catherine of Siena School (online: https://st-catherine-of-siena-church.snwbll.com/scholarship-fund) or donate at funeral home.