Joseph S. Skaff; Retired Real Estate Broker

Joseph S. Skaff, a retired real estate broker, has died at his Encino residence. He was 71.

Skaff died Feb. 16 of heart failure, said his wife, Lila Skaff.

Born in Lawrence, Mass., he came to California as a child and graduated from Hamilton High School in Los Angeles. He served as a sergeant in the Army during World War II, and later worked at Technicolor Inc.

In 1959, he became a real estate broker and opened Skaff Realty in Encino. He sold the business in 1975 and worked as a loan consultant for Home Savings of America in Burbank until his retirement in the mid-1980s. Skaff was a board member of the San Fernando Valley Board of Realtors during the 1960s and 1970s, served as chairman of the 184th birthday celebration for the city of Los Angeles in 1965 and was a member of the San Fernando Valley Golfers Assn., Encino Kiwanis Club and the Encino Chamber of Commerce.

He is survived by his wife of 41 years; a son, Joe Skaff of Arnold, Calif.; a brother, George Skaff of West Los Angeles; two sisters, Martha Williamson of Sherman Oaks and Selma Saleeby of La Verne; and two granddaughters.

A memorial Mass is scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday at St. Cyril’s of Jerusalem, 15520 Ventura Blvd. in Encino. Burial will be at a later date, at the Los Angeles National Cemetery in West Los Angeles. Praiswater Funeral Home in Van Nuys is handling the arrangements. Contributions can be made in Skaff’s name to a charity of the donor’s choice.