William P. Skinner Jr.

William Pailin Skinner, Jr
Raleigh
William Pailin Skinner, Jr., age 83, passed away peacefully at his home on Feb 10th surrounded by his family. He was born on July 31, 1929 in his family home on Church Street in Elizabeth City, NC, the fourth child of Julia Wood Skinner and William Pailin Skinner.
At Elizabeth City High School, Bill was an Eagle Scout and student body president. He spent his last year of high school at Virginia Episcopal School because the high schools across North Carolina were just being required to add a twelfth grade and his parents thought he needed twelfth grade before setting off to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. There he was a member of Zeta Psi fraternity and NROTC where he earned an Ensign commission in the United States Naval Reserve. After graduating from Chapel Hill in 1951, he served In the Navy in the Mediterranean and Caribbean during the Korean War. Bill particularly enjoyed his deployment to Italy where he turned an interest in opera into a lifelong passion after hearing the young Renata Tebaldi sing years before she became known in the United States.
In 1953 Bill returned to Chapel Hill to attend law school. There he met Harriet Morgan from Johnson City TN who would become his wife and the mother of his two children. After law school he worked at the National Bank of Commerce in Norfolk, Virginia before returning to North Carolina. Making his home in Raleigh, he practiced law for over 50 years with Howard Manning and Charlie Fulton at Manning Fulton and Skinner. He was a member of the Carolina Country Club, the Assembly Club and a longtime member of Christ Church where he served on the Vestry and as Senior Warden. Bill was a kind, generous and loving son, brother, husband, father and grandfather. He adored opera, the symphony, Tarheel sports and his family cottage in Nags Head, NC.
Bill was predeceased by his parents, his oldest sister Julia Wood Skinner and his first wife Harriet Morgan Skinner. He is survived by his wife Jennette Campbell Herbert Skinner; his sister Jessie Skinner Gaither; his brother Thomas Gregory Skinner, IV and his wife Alice; his son William Pailin Skinner, III and his wife Jolie; his daughter Harriet McLeod Skinner; his grandchildren Laura McLeod Skinner and John Pailin Skinner and his step-daughters Catherine Deming Herbert and Carlyle Herbert Dorroh.
The family extends special thanks to the people of the Cancer Center of NC, Caring Senior Services and Hospice of Wake County for their loving care and compassion during his final illness. The funeral service will be at Christ Church on Saturday February 16th at 11:00 am. The family will receive friends in the parish hall following the service. In lieu of flowers, Bill and his family would appreciate memorial gifts to Christ Episcopal Church, North Carolina Opera, or any organization serving those in need.