On Monday, October 3, 2022, Eskil “Skip” S. Danielson, 79, of Byram Township, passed away. Eskil, also known as “Skip,” was born on November 10, 1942, to the late Ruth and Eskil L. Danielson in Dover, New Jersey.
Skip was a passionate member of his community who was a highly skilled and committed public worker. During his 22 years as the chief of police in Byram Township, the department won praise on the local, state, and federal levels. He received commendation for his outstanding performance, including the Times Square armed criminal arrest, the Port Authority Fugitive capture, and rescues. He was the first Chief of Police for a residential/lake resort community. Skip worked as the Air Medical Coordinator for the Division of Emergency Medical Services at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey until 1998, when he was appointed Director for the Sussex County Division of Emergency Management. Skip retired from his position as Chief of Police in 1993. During his 16-year tenure as director, he was instrumental in the management of floods, explosions, and hurricanes and heroically oversaw the local reaction to the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks.
Along with his great accomplishments in the workplace, Skip spent over 57 years volunteering as a firefighter and first aid/EMS provider. During this time, he received multiple citations for his lifesaving, rescue, and incident management efforts.
Skip was a member of the Byram Township Senior Citizens, the Sussex County Association Chiefs of Police (Charter and Life Member, Past President), the Sussex County PBA Local #138, the Byram Township Unit (Silver Life Member), the New Jersey Retired PBA Local #600, the FBI National Academy Associates of New Jersey (Life Member), the Lakeland Emergency Squad (Life Member, Past President, and Charter), and the International Association Chiefs of Police (Life Member).
Eskil Scott Danielson, Skip’s son, predeceased him.
His devoted wife Judith, his sons Kevin W. and Eric C. Danielson (Cindy), his daughter-in-law Tammy Danielson, his grandchildren Aaron (Kelly), Amanda, Alycia, Sandra, Kyle, Ryan, Patrick, and Matthew, his great-grandchildren Austin, Landon, and Carson, his brother David Danielson (Donna), and his sister Ruthann Hays survive him (Bill).
Skip was a devoted public worker who impacted many people’s lives and hearts. His family and community will miss him dearly.
On Monday, October 10, 2022, there will be a visitation for Skip from 4 to 8 p.m. at Smith-McCracken Funeral Home, 63 High St., Newton, NJ 07860, followed by Public Safety Services at 7:30 p.m. A funeral ceremony will be held at the First Presbyterian Church of Newton, 54 High St, Newton, NJ 07860, on Tuesday, October 11, 2022 at 10:30 a.m. At Locust Hill Cemetery, 168 N. Sussex St., Dover, NJ 07801, there will be a burial after.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent in Skip’s honor to the 403 Reasons to Run Foundation Inc. and Lakeland Emergency Squad, both of which can be found at 2 Lee Hill Road in Andover, New Jersey 07821 and PO Box 311 in Andover, respectively.
