Wyatt Ferris North-Skelton

Wyatt was born early at thirty-five weeks and one day on July 10, 2020. From the time Wyatt was in utero to the day he left us, Wyatt continued to surprise us. Wyatt had endured countless doctors and physical, occupational, speech and feeding therapy appointments since his physical motor skills were not developing correctly because of his arthrogryposis. Even though he hated being poked and prodded by various adults, he was a special patient for those who got to work with him. He was resilient, he was incredibly physically strong for such a little guy and more than anything, no matter what, he was ALWAYS the happiest kid in the world.  

 Wyatt was a Disney kid through and through and loved going on rides. The faster the better for our Wy. He was such a good travel kid the few times we were able to do it and he was open to every new experience. He loved his daddy throwing him in the air or dipping him backwards. He also loved giving his mommy nighttime Wyatt kisses. He loved to play with beans in the bowl and dumping them all over the floor, his drums, pianos, and music (Beach Boys and Disney songs). He loved his books – Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and The Going to Bed Book were his favorites. He loved running around in his walker and chasing his puppies Prairie and Gus much to Gus’s chagrin. He loved being independent as much as he could. His favorite was sneaking up on mom and dad cooking in the kitchen and shutting us into the pantry as he stood guard outside. He loved to go outside in his walker and riding down the driveway in it. And he loved his movies. Wyatt got to watch a lot of movies during his long tube feedings. He loved the Sonic the Hedgehog live action movies, Puss in Boots the Last Wish, Bad Guys, Turning Red, Paw Patrol, and anything with the Minions. Again, the more action, the better. Just like Sonic – Wyatt just always wanted to GO FAST. He recently started attending preschool this past month at Cherokee Trail Elementary and even though he got sick twice as a result of being in school, because that’s what happens at the beginning of the year, Wyatt absolutely loved school and loved being with other little kids and his teachers. He got other kids to dance with his little Wyatt dance shimmy. Every time we dropped him off, we would have various parents tell us how much their kids just loved our Wyatt. He was such a special kid!

 Wyatt was incredible, he was a beautiful soul and brought light to any room he was in. Everyone who met him loved him. He was magnetic. People were just drawn to him. If Wyatt gave anyone one of his infectious smiles, they couldn’t help but smile back. He had the best characteristics of both Andy and Ashleigh but, he was his own person through and through. Most people called him Andy’s mini-me and it’s easy to see why. He had Ashleigh’s eyes but, he looked just like his dada. He was so loved by his mom, his dad, his grandparents, Terri and Tim, with whom he spent four days a week for daycare. He was grandpa’s best friend “Doodledoo” and grandma’s snuggle bug. Wyatt became a snuggler around his first birthday and there was nothing like Wyatt snuggles, that’s for sure. Wyatt’s smile, his hysterical laugh and high-pitched squeal when he got excited are things that will be sorely missed, but always cherished. His hugs and kisses will be treasured memories forever. We know that Wyatt is with his great grandparents and great uncles now and they will be taking care of him until we get to see him again. 

 Wyatt is survived by his parents, Andy and Ashleigh North-Skelton; his loving grandparents, Terri and Tim Carrothers, Karan North, Woody Skelton and Gary Hall; his Aunt Mari and Uncle Matt, who were amazing to Wyatt; along with his great aunts and uncles who were always so caring toward him, Sandy North and Beth Beymer; Barb and Jack Jones; and Michael North; along with Ashleigh’s large extended family in the Chicagoland Area, Missouri, Nebraska, Tennessee, Idaho and Iowa. Wyatt is also survived by his Aunt Danielle and Uncle Jared; his cousins, Morgan, Jakobi and Ryder, who were there for him every step of the way; along with his Uncle Phil; Briana and David Jimenez and family; Tiffany and Aidan Gerard and family; Jodi and Bill Williams and family; Linda and Mike Worthey; Greg and Michele Yonker; Lauren and Harry Bull and Family; The Tucker Family; Erica and Ryan Lopez; Brad and Lisa Humphries; Sarah Humphries; Emily Ferren; Katie Guerrero; John and Cherie Rios; Lisa Roberts; Kellie Carroll; and everyone we forgot to mention who has been checking on us, we thank you.

We would also like to thank those from Lone Tree PD, especially Corporal Bryan and Theresa Taylor, Sergeant Kenny Medina, Corporal Dan Andreas, and Officer Mo Quezada, along with Chief Kirk Wilson, Detective Shannon Jones, Victim Services Coordinator Jennifer Roger-Flynn; also the incredible faculty, administration and staff at Grandview High School, especially Ashleigh’s other family, the Social Studies Department; CU Anschutz Medical Campus Administration and Police; West Metro Fire Department; South Metro Fire Department; and Gilpin County Sheriff’s Office, especially Sheriff Kevin Armstrong, Emergency Manager Nate Whittington and Sergeant Keith Priest; The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office; Parker Police Department; and Aurora Police Department; David and Jerene Strum and the numerous others that were so kind and caring toward our WyWy. We also appreciate the support of all of Wyatt by his care team therapists and providers through Children’s Hospital and Child Find along with his incredible preschool teachers at Cherokee Trail Elementary. 

 We (Andy and Ashleigh) would like to say how completely taken aback we are for the outpouring of support we have received by everyone during this extremely difficult time. We appreciate everyone so much for coming by the house, sending well wishes through texts, phone calls and emails, as well as sending thoughts and prayers for our family during this time. Thank you for all of the love that you have shown our family, we are truly humbled and speechless due to the support from everyone. 

A celebration of Wyatt's life will be held at 1:00pm, on Saturday, September 30th, at Horan & McConaty, 5303 East County Line Road, in Centennial, Colorado 80122. (Parking spaces are limited in the Funeral Home parking lot, so please car pool if you can. Additional parking is available on the North side of the Funeral Home, on the street by the storage facility, and in the shopping center parking lot.)

If you cannot attend and wish to participate virtually, please use the following link: https://bxcited.com/wyatt-ferris-north-skelton/

At the request of Wyatt's family, we encourage you to avoid wearing black to his celebration of life, but instead, dress in casual and colorful clothing, keeping in mind that Wyatt’s favorite colors were red, yellow, and blue. We would also invite you to wear your Croc's in honor or Wyatt. Thank you!

To continue in the celebration of Wyatt's life, please join the family at a reception immediately following his service at The Meadows Banquet & Events Center, 9445 Park Meadows Drive, Lone Tree, CO 80124

To read more about Wyatt’s story: https://csvadc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Wyatts-Story.pdf 

So many people have asked how they can help, so with the permission of the family, we have set up meal-train/gift card account and an account for monetary donations to go toward the family expenses. Please see the links below to donate through the meal train for gift cards and for monetary donations.

Due to allergies and food restrictions, we are asking for no home cooked meals or flowers, but gift cards for local restaurants or groceries would be greatly appreciated.  

Meal Train for gift cards - Meal Train for Andrew and Ashleigh North-Skelton

Monetary donations - https://donorbox.org/ltpd2023