John Philip Skinner
The world lost a kind and gentle soul when John passed away on September 4, 2019 He was born on June 11, 1946 in Hanover, Pennsylvania to Agnes and Harold Skinner. His family moved west with stops in Iowa and Nebraska before settling in Bellevue, Washington when John was in elementary school. John graduated from Sammamish High School and then went on to work in graphic design with technical training from Burnley School of Professional Art.
John met Peggy O'Neill through mutual friends in 1974 and they married in 1975. John's greatest joy was found in his family: Peggy and their children, Megan and Sam. There were countless road trips, camping and hiking adventures, sidelines at soccer games or crew events, and theater experiences. John and Peggy's home was always open to family and friends and they welcomed all to join for holiday celebrations. To John's great joy, his family expanded with spouses Jason and Katie and a grandson, Deckard. John was an excellent photographer who documented landscapes and people on his many travel adventures. He could turn a rusty piece of beach metal into an amazing photograph because of his ability to see something interesting in almost anything. He loved working on cars, fly fishing, beer brewing, woodworking, jazz, soccer, golf and great food.
John spent the majority of his professional career as the head of the art department at GM Nameplate, a company with national and international manufacturing plants. John's eye for detail and interest in technology enabled him to take the production of graphic art from drafting tables to computer generated and automated design. With multiple stays in the hospital and emergency rooms over the last few years, he consistently pointed out to medical practitioners that he was involved in printing the labels for the equipment that they were using. He looked critically at those labels to be sure that they were aligned and printed correctly. He never lost his keen eye or drive for perfection in graphics.
John was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in May of 2015 and congestive heart failure in subsequent years. He remained positive throughout his treatment and was able to spend time in travel or vintage car events because of his desire to move forward in spite of his challenges. The family thanks Seattle Cancer Care Alliance and his onconogist, David Coffey, for their excellent care.
John leaves behind his wife, Peggy, daughter Megan, her husband Jason and their son Deckard, and son Sam and his wife Katie. He also leaves behind his three sisters, Christy, Mary, and Becky, their husbands Randy, Terry, and Blaine, and nephews, cousins and loving friends. He also leaves behind Trixy, his beloved TR-6 vintage car that we are sure he will be driving somewhere in his next life.
With John's request, there will be no formal memorial service. Instead of a service, please spend time with a family member or friend. John felt that life's greatest riches were often within an arms reach. If you would like to leave a remembrance for John, please consider a donation to Fred Hutch Cancer Research Center earmarked for multiple myeloma.
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Published in The Seattle Times on Sept. 15, 2019
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