Jerry Donald Skinner

Skinner, Jerry Donald, passed away peacefully on December 30, 2013 at his home in Macungie, PA. Jerry was born on May 14, 1929 just before the stock market crash to Fred E. and Ruth Mae Skinner in Wichita, KS. Jerry's first job at age 13 was delivering milk in the wee hours followed by two back to back Wichita Eagle paper routes and reading gas meters for Wichita Gas Service Co. As a member of the Wichita East High School swim team, he excelled in the freestyle stroke and won first place in the Kansas statewide championship in 1947. Jerry attended Wichita University, graduated in the Air Force ROTC program and proudly served his country as a 1st Lieutenant Personnel Officer in charge of awards, decorations, and casualties at Suwon Air Base, Korea, in 1952-1953. Immediately upon his return from Korea, he married Janet Claire Hinman of Wichita. After working briefly for Kansas Automobile Dealers Assn., Jerry found his passion as a stockbroker. He began his career with Small Milburn, then moved to F. I. DuPont, E. F. Hutton, and Dean Witter until his retirement in 1989. Jerry was an early practitioner of charting stock price movements each week by hand for over 40 years. A man of highest integrity, he always placed the wealth building of his clients ahead of his own. For the past 10 months, Jerry has lived in assisted living in Macungie, PA to be near his daughter and her family. While there, he made many new friends, sharing his skills as a rose gardener and a stock market analyst. Jerry is survived by his daughter, Marcia Breting, her husband, Chris, of Allentown, PA, son, Jay D. Skinner, his wife, Susan, of The Woodlands, TX. He is also survived by his grandchildren, Joel Breting, of Irving, TX, Katy Breting, of Chicago, IL, Andrew Breting, of Allentown, PA, Jared Skinner, of The Woodlands, TX, and Rhiannon Skinner of The Woodlands, TX. He is also survived by several nieces. Jerry is predeceased by his loving wife of 56 years, Janet, his parents, and sister Connie Lou Skinner Routh, of Bellevue, WA. Visitation with family present will be at Cochran Mortuary from 5:00 to 7:00 pm on Monday, January 6. Funeral services to be held at Cochran Mortuary at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, January 7. Contributions may be made in Jerry's honor to the Wounded Warrior Project, PO Box 758517, Topeka, KS 66675-8517, (woundedwarriorproject.org). To sign a guest book or leave a condolence for the family, go to www.cochranmortuary.com