Residents Say Goodbye To Former Towers Trainer

Former North Shore Towers Country Club trainer Harrison Skeete recently passed away, although he will continue to be remembered as a good person with a kind heart.
“He was just someone that you loved to be around,” said Country Club Manager Mary Anne Langone. “He had an aura of goodness around him.”
Skeete passed away at the age of 86 on Saturday, April 5. Along with formerly working at the Towers, he was also an International Weight Lifting Champion.
Residents were joined by Skeete’s children for a memorial service in the VIP Room on Wednesday, April 24.
Dennis Rappaport said Skeete was unforgettable to the many people whose lives he touched. He also said Skeete was an optimist, always seeing the glass half full, who always said he was “marvelous” when asked how he was doing. Rappaport also said that Skeete was especially attentive to those who were vulnerable.
When Rappaport first began working with boxer Oleg Maskaev, he said Skeete predicted that Maskaev would become a heavyweight champion. That prediction came true in 2006.
“I lost a mentor, I lost a friend, his family lost a dad, his grandchildren a grandfather. He was the most unique, extraordinary man,” Rappaport said. “His life embodied the word marvelous.”
Skeete’s daughter Yoland spoke next, saying that he had wished he hadn’t retired from the Towers because of missing it. She also thanked the Towers for the happiness and great years it provided him.
“Coming to work here was a very important part of my father’s life,” she said. “My father came to work here after my mother died and he could have, like most other people, faded away, just become sad and unhappy. But giving brought him back to life and here was one of the best places for him to do that and enjoy the company of you all.”
Eric Kozminsky said that Skeete was one of the most generous people he had ever met and that the Towers was blessed to have him there.
“He’s just one of the very special people and in the brief time I was with him he really left an impression on me,” Kozminsky said.
Susan Zwetchkenbaum said that Skeete always had a smile on his face and made others feel special.
“He was always there for us, a true gentleman, and I will never forget him,” she said. “He was very special and he certainly touched my life.”
Former resident Jim Gover, who lived at the Towers from 1988 to 1996, said that Skeete was a friend to all. He will always remember sharing workouts with him and how happy Skeete was.
“He’s the epitome of goodness in people,” Gover said.