CHARLESTON, W.Va. — For hours Monday evening, people wrapped around the West Virginia Culture Center in Charleston, waiting in line to pay their respects to beloved businessman and former Delegate Doug Skaff Jr.

Senate Finance Chair Jason Barrett says the outpour of support was a testament of who Skaff was.

Doug Skaff

“It just speaks to Doug’s character, and it speaks to the amount of influence that Doug had over so many people in this area and over the entire state of West Virginia,” Barrett said.

Skaff, 48, was killed last week when traveling south on Interstate 79 in Lewis County. According to State Police, Skaff’s vehicle collided with the back of a semi-truck between the Jane Lew and Weston exits.

Former Delegate Mike Ferro, who worked with Skaff in the legislature, says the news hit him hard.

“When I found out the other night, I had to grab onto something. It hit me that hard. The impact was terrible,” Ferro said in line for Skaff’s public visitation. “I just started thinking about things and reminiscing on all the good times we had together and what Doug meant to everyone.”

Skaff served in the West Virginia Delegates from 2008 to 2014 and again from 2018-2023, serving as the House Minority Leader for multiple years. Outside of the Capitol, Skaff was a businessman who owned HD Media and most recently was part of a group that purchased Fazio’s Italian Restaurant in Charleston.

Skaff was also an ambassador in the Charleston community, as he often volunteered as he often volunteered for multiple charities and organizations, including regularly with the WV Kids Cancer Crusaders.

Barrett, who served with Skaff in the House of Delegates, says Skaff was all about helping the Mountain State.

“When I hear ‘Doug Skaff,’ what I think of is an energetic champion of West Virginia,” Barrett said.

Jason Barrett

According to Barrett and several other delegates, Skaff was not afraid to welcome the new lawmakers into Charleston.

“I remember Doug as one of the first people that came up to me to welcome me to the Capitol,” Barrett said. “I was a freshman delegate from Martinsburg that really didn’t know many people in the building, and he was one of the first people to help me along as I began my legislative career.”

Barrett says that Skaff was simply cut from a different cloth.

“Doug was one of those guys that didn’t have an ‘off’ switch. Doug was always on,” Barrett said. “He always wanted to do more for the community and more for the state.”

According to Ferro, Skaff was able to not let his work or business determine his joy. He says Skaff was kind to everyone, no matter the party affiliation.

“He always had a smile on his face, and he always found something that was good about something,” Ferro said. “He could work with both sides. He was able to do that in a manner that was non-combative.”

Another former delegate, Issac Sponaugle spoke about Skaff’s legacy before paying his respects. He, like Barrett, called Skaff a “champion” for the state.

Isaac Sponaugle

“Doug Skaff should be remembered and will be remembered as a great champion of the state of West Virginia,” Sponaugle said.

“He’s a generational leader for the state, and West Virginia is not going to be able to replace him. That’s just a fact,” he continued.