Janet Skinner Obituary, Death – A. Skinner, Janet Funeral Notice, Death Notice, Greenhills Drive On February 19, 2020, Blackbutt, artist and author Janet Skinner passed away after a brief battle with illness. her passing occurred. Her spouse, Robert Harlan Skinner, passed away before her. He was her predecessor in death. Ginny Skinner, who resides in Winder, Georgia; Terri Skinner Johnson, or Chandler, who resides in Rydal, Pennsylvania; and Elizabeth Skinner Williams, or Jim, who is in Reston, Virginia are her cherished children.
Elizabeth Johnson, David Johnson, Jon Skinner, Rob Williams, and Emanuel Johnson are the five cherished grandkids who continued to live after their grandfather’s passing. Jan Skidmore was born in a suburb of Chicago in 1931. In 1953, when she graduated from the University of Minnesota with a major in humanities, she relocated to Knoxville, Tennessee, with her parents, James Edward Skidmore and Virginia Armstrong Skidmore. It was in Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1954 that she and Bob chose to establish their home in the South after getting married.
Both of them were originally from Chicago. Even when Bob’s job required them to relocate to Birmingham, Alabama and Cleveland, Ohio, Jan never stopped thinking of Knoxville as her home. During the year 1957, Jan became a member of the Knoxville Junior League, marking the beginning of her lifelong dedication to serving the community. Because she was so enthusiastic about administration, she started taking the helm of many committees.
During her early years, she served as the chairperson of a group for the Planning Council of the United Way, which ultimately resulted in the relocation of Goodwill Industries to Knoxville. In every location that she called home, she was an active member of the Pi Beta Phi Fraternity alumnae groups. Over the course of her career, she served in a number of different board positions; however, it was her final post as secretary that ultimately led to her choice to relocate from Cleveland, Ohio to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, where she ran the Arrowcraft Shop.
In the late 1960s, Jan began her career with the Helen Ross McNabb Center in Knoxville. During the years that she resided in Knoxville, she served on either the Center Board or the Helen Ross McNabb Foundation Board until the year 1998. The Helen Ross McNabb Center was the recipient of Jan’s final request, which was for memorial contributions to be donated to the organization. Jan had such a strong belief in the goal of the Center and in the ability of the Center to provide assistance to individuals that were struggling with mental health concerns.
Throughout the years, Jan has struggled with her health, but she has never given up and has always been determined to triumph over any hurdles she has. She had a stroke in 1992 that left her unable to function normally, but she worked so hard to recover from the consequences of the stroke that the majority of people would have never known she had suffered from one. Once upon a time, her neurologist would have Jan come in and speak to stroke victims in order to encourage them and show them that there was hope for their future.
In the year 2002, Jan made the choice to go to Reston, Virginia, in order to be with the family of her daughter Elizabeth. Exercising, reading, and spending time with her family and grandchildren were the primary activities that she prioritized during this “retirement” period of her life.
