Dr. John George Skinner

Obituary of Dr. John George Skinner

Dr. John G. Skinner of Gladstone, NJ passed away peacefully in his sleep at home on January 29th, 2026. He was 99 years old.

Born in London, England, to parents John and Alice, John moved to the United States in 1953 with his loving bride Elizabeth, settling in Gladstone in 1970. He was a long-time parishioner of St. Brigid Church in Peapack.

He married the love of his life, Elizabeth Birkett on September 30, 1951, in London, England. John and Elizabeth moved to the United States with the intention to work and travel for 2 to 3 years. They started their journey in Bartlesville, Oklahoma where John worked for Philips 66, the petroleum company. After a few years they moved to Corvallis, Oregon where John worked for Oregon State University. While working for the University he earned a PhD in physics. Recruited by Bell Laboratories they moved to Basking Ridge and eventually started a family.

While employed at Bell Laboratories in Murray Hill, NJ for over 28 years, John was the world's expert on photomask making which are used to produce integrated circuits. He holds a US patent for a process of mask making. While at Bell Laboratories he also worked on lasers and his team was one of the first to use a laser to measure the distance between two points which were over 30 miles apart.

John was involved in the community as the President of the Peapack & Gladstone Parent Teacher Organization for the local elementary school. He also served for 2 years as the vice president of the Somerset Hills YMCA board of trustees in the mid 1970's.

He was an avid sailor. He loved spending time on his 30-foot sailboat with his family sailing around New York Harbor and taking trips to Block Island through the Long Island Sound. During his youth, he achieved success as a cyclist, frequently embarking on 100-mile rides throughout England. He also raced bicycles and was proud to say he used a fixed wheel bicycle which did not have any gears.

John enjoyed working on projects around his house. He was extremely handy and single handedly designed and constructed a deck which wrapped around almost half of his house. He rarely had to use outside contractors to make repairs.

Most of all, he loved spending time with his family sitting on his deck or visiting his adult children's houses in Gladstone and enjoying barbeques and family dinners. He also enjoyed traveling back to his native London with his wife Elizabeth, children and grandchildren visiting family.

John is survived by his son Gregory Skinner, daughter Sarah Johannesen, grandchildren John (Kaitlyn) and Abigail Skinner, several nieces and nephews and younger brother Brian (Barbara) Skinner, who lives in England. He is predeceased by his wife Elizabeth and younger twin siblings Arthur Skinner and Miriam Lodge.

Visitation will be held on Thursday, February 5th, from 4-7 PM at the Bailey Funeral Home, 176 Main Street, Peapack. A Funeral Mass will be held on Friday, February 6th, at 10:30 AM at St. Brigid Church, 129 Main Street, Peapack, followed by interment at Holy Cross Cemetery in Basking Ridge. In lieu of flowers, donations in John's memory may be made to the Peapack Gladstone Fire Company #1 and/or the Peapack Gladstone First Aid and Rescue Squad Inc.

John's legacy lives on through his family, his work, and the many lives he touched.