Brigadier General (Ret’d) Lloyd Skaalen died peacefully at the Veterans Memorial Lodge, Victoria, BC on June 8, 2026, at the age of 96.

Left to mourn his passing are his wife, Françoise Brunet; his stepdaughter Anne Druelle of Vancouver, BC; daughters Jane (Dwight Grady) Summerside, PEI; Susan (Ken Arsenault) Summerside, PEI; and Margaret (Alain Bergeron) Ottawa, Ontario. He is also survived by 6 grandchildren: Nick, Chris, Lauren, Jill, Melanie and Lisa; and 8 great grandchildren; nephew Jim Gould and niece Mary Lopez of Seattle, Washington and Janet Mau of Portland, Maine. He was predeceased by his wife Muriel (Wilson) Skaalen, his parents Earl and Ella (Stevens) Skaalen, his sister Gladys Gould, brother-in-law Robert Gould, and son-in-law Blair Gamble.

Lloyd was born in Tofield, Alberta on February 26, 1930. As a boy growing up during World War II, he watched planes flying overhead on their way to Russia. Seeing those aircraft inspired him to become a pilot. He paid for flying lessons with his paper route and obtained his pilot’s license at the age of 16. After high school graduation he joined the RCAF and served his country proudly for 35 years rising to the rank of Brigadier General. He was a Sabre Jet Fighter Pilot at Canada’s first NATO base in Grostenquin, France in the 1950s with subsequent postings to Montreal and Trenton where he flew transport missions to the Arctic, Congo, Nigeria, and Singapore. He attended Staff College in Toronto, graduating in 1965. He was an exchange officer at Scott AFB in Illinois and then Military Attaché at the Canadian Embassy in Washington DC. He returned to Staff College as an Instructor and Director from 1969 - 1972. He was next posted to CFB Summerside as Base Commander from 1972 - 1974 where he proudly hosted Queen Elizabeth during the PEI Centennial. He then served as Director of Maritime Aviation at National Defense Headquarters in Ottawa followed by becoming Deputy Commander of 21st NORAD Region in Syracuse, New York. He was appointed Commander of Air Transport Group CFB Trenton in 1979 for three years followed by his final posting to Ottawa as Director General of Current Policy and Arms Control at NDHQ. He retired in 1983 having served 35 years, flown a multitude of aircraft, and accomplished more than his boyhood dreams had imagined possible. His wife Muriel and their three daughters were with him for most of that journey.

 He subsequently joined the Ottawa office of Pratt and Whitney as a Management Consultant until retirement in 1993. He retired to Victoria, BC where he kept active for many years with Dragonboat Racing, Golf, Walking Group, travel, genealogy, and a lifelong passion for cameras and photography. He made many home movies that we all enjoyed watching over the years. He was also a vocal supporter of rail transit on Vancouver Island and would like to see it improved to support the environment.

Donations in memory of Lloyd to the Veterans Memorial Lodge, Victoria, BC, where he spent his last year, or to the BC Aviation Museum in North Saanich, BC would be greatly appreciated.

Cremation has taken place and a private celebration of life will be held later.

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth

And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings

(From “High Flight” by John Gillespie Magee Jr.)