01/17/2024
It is with a very heavy heart that I share with our friends, our listeners and community family the news of our beloved Skip Diegel’s passing. I am not normally at a loss for words but have really been struggling with how to convey this heart break to so many who knew him. Yesterday someone said to me, “he was a community treasure” and that is beautifully apt. He loved this community, he loved the people in it and of course he loved radio!
Skip’s broadcasting and advertising career spanned decades before he landed in New Smyrna Beach. He made his vision for WSBB a reality and in doing so created something that truly intertwined all of those passions. Skip never knew a stranger and lived everyday with a generous heart. How does one sum up a man of his magnitude? He took joy in simple things from cooking to golf. Sundays at church and watching his favorite teams play. Sailing. Tennis. Art. Live shows were a favorite and I’ve never known anyone who looked more forward to a daily lunch outing, which was always more about being social than it was just about the meal. Skip loved his family and oh if you could see the beaming pride he had for his grandson Jason, his “buddy!” For a man who could never keep track of a phone he certainly was on it – a LOT and often times it was to chat with friends and colleagues of many years past, a testament to the relationships he cultivated over his lifetime. For those that may not have known Skip personally, but invited him into your homes each morning, know that what Skip truly loved the most was being a part of that each day. While you would listen to him between the songs I hope it makes you smile to know that behind the scenes his “happy” was infectious and often times after turning off his mic he would keep his head phones on, close his eyes and sing along with the music (often poorly but always loudly – and I will miss that everyday!)
I have no doubt that if there is a yacht club in heaven Skip is already a member and sailing the skies above. And while I have struggled to put this in writing I am assured that he’s still with us as I hear the Beatles “Let It Be” playing from the studio monitors and I know that “Mother Mary comfort me” is his message for peace. It feels a bit like trying to learn to walk again without him at my side and I know that many of you feel this loss so deeply and his legacy will live on in each of us that cherished him so dearly. I will close with words of Skip’s own and the manner in which he lived and believed that others should as well. Be humbly confident. Do what you say. Do the right thing. Be passionate and compassionate. HAVE FUN!
We are working to pay tribute to Skip with a special morning show program (stay tuned for coming details) and invite you all to share your favorite Skip memories and join us in celebrating the life of this mighty man.
