The Enid News and Eagle, Enid, OK

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October 27, 2008

Dispatcher honored

By Cass Rains, Staff Writer

Today would have been Michael Skoda’s 42nd birthday, his mother said Monday during a quiet and intimate dedication at Garfield County Sheriff’s Office dispatch office.

Funds from a memorial fund for Skoda were used to purchase a $6,000 device to record 911 telephone calls for the dispatch center, where Skoda worked before his death May 23.

“I think it’s wonderful,” said Margaret Skoda, Michael’s mother. “It’s what they needed.”

Sheriff Bill Winchester presented Margaret and Tina Troutman, Skoda’s fiancee, with a plaque in appreciation of Michael’s service to the sheriff’s office.

“It’s what Michael would have wanted,” Troutman said.

“He loved his job,” Margaret said. “He loved the people here.”

Skoda worked in Garfield County Sheriff’s Office dispatch since 1996, left for a period of time to take another job, but later returned. He underwent a heart transplant and later died from complications.

The sheriff said Michael loved his job.

“It’s the kind of job where it’s not easy to find someone to stay,” he said. “We sure miss Michael.”

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