Craig B. Skott, age 78, of Clear Lake, Iowa passed away peacefully with his partner, Nancy Sevley by his side, on September 23, 2026, at the IOOF Care facility in Mason City, Iowa. Craig passed as the result of complications from Parkinson’s.

A gathering of family and friends celebrating Craig’s life will be held from 1 to 3 P.M., Saturday, October 10, 2026, at Carson Celebration of Life Center in Maquoketa.  A graveside service and burial will follow the gathering at Buckhorn Cemetery, rural Maquoketa.  A visitation was also held at Ward Van Slyke Colonial Chapel in Clear Lake, Iowa.

Craig Barton Skott was born on November 30, 1947 at the home of his parents, Oskar T. Skott and Camilla M. (Owen) Skott. Craig grew up on the family farm just south of the small community of Buckhorn in Jackson County, Iowa.

Craig attended elementary school at one of the last country schools in Jackson County – the Little Red school, just west of Maquoketa. In high school Craig began his love of athletics and played on the varsity basketball team. He graduated in 1966 from Maquoketa Community High School, but enjoyed staying in touch with class mates and looked forward to attending class reunions. After High School, Craig attended Iowa State University and graduated in 1971 with a Bachelor of Architecture degree.

Immediately after graduation, Craig started working at Bergland and Bianco Architects in Mason City, Iowa. Craig eventually started his own Architecture business – Craig Skott Architect. One of his first projects was the design and construction of the Lime Creek Nature Center in Mason City. Craig went on to design and construct numerous care facilities, school additions, office complexes and multifamily dwellings, including Stone Creek offices, Garden Park Village condominiums in Clear Lake, and the IOOF Therapy Center addition and many more projects around Iowa.

Craig enjoyed athletic competition and in 1972 was a founding member of the River City Rugby team. The team is still in existence and has traveled all over the world -England, Australia, Argentina and Ireland competing in amateur competitions. Craig and Nancy also enjoyed travels to Croatia and Turkey and a Danube River Cruise. Craig retired in 2016 and sold his architecture business to his partner at that time – Gary Anderson, but he and Nancy continued to travel the world enjoying architecture and rugby competition with a senior’s version of Rugby -Olde Barking Dogs -which he also helped establish.

Craig was passionate about architecture and wanted to provide opportunities for students to pursue their dreams. As a result, he established the Craig Skott Memorial Scholarship funds within the Education Foundation of Mason City Public Schools, The Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque and the Iowa State University Foundation. Craig’s vision was to provide significant assistance to students in need.

Perhaps the greatest tribute to Craig comes from a quote presented by his Rugby teammates. The quote is contained with framed photographs of adult and youth rugby teams, which Craig supported for over 40 years-“one man’s effort continues to inspire generations and provide experiences to hundreds of people”.

Craig is preceded in death by his parents Oskar and Camilla Skott and his brother Owen Skott.  Craig is survived by his long -time partner Nancy Sevley, close cousins Milton and Linda Owen and Troy and Angie Dodd. Nancy’s children, Shawn and (Pam) Lampman, Sharese (Scott) James, Shelby (Chad) Ruff, and her grandchildren, Logan, Samantha, Amanda, Lily and Tess along with three great-grandchildren. Craig valued all the friendships in the blended families of the Skott’s, Owen’s. and Sevley’s. He will be missed.

The family would like to especially thank the IOOF staff and all the St. Croix Hospice staff for the excellent care given to Craig during his final struggle from Parkinson’s disease.

Online condolences may be left at www.CarsonAndson.com.