Mark R. Skakel

RUTLAND TOWN - Mark Richard Skakel, 56, of Rutland Town, died suddenly on March 27, 2010, doing what he loved – working in the woods.

He was born on September 17, 1953, in Greenwich, Connecticut, the son of the late George and Patricia (Corroon) Skakel. After his parents died in 1966, he and his siblings were raised by their late aunt and uncle, Nancy and Dick Corroon.

Mr. Skakel graduated from Paul Smith College with an A.A.S. in forestry and the University of Vermont with a B.S. in forestry. He was working towards his M.S. in education at the University of Vermont.

He is survived by his loving wife, Jane Sangster Skakel, and his beloved daughters and stepson, Katherine Kipp Skakel, Eliza Prescott Skakel and Will Crofoot. He is also survived by a brother, George Skakel, and sisters, Susan Rand and Kathleen Williams, as well as Nancy and Dick Corroon's daughters, Polly Rattner and Ellen Petersen, who were like sisters to Mark.

He spent the last decade as a teacher of forestry and natural resources at Stafford Technical Center, where he found his true calling as a hands-on educator who touched the lives of hundreds of students. Prior to that, he spent 23 years as a consulting forester.

From young adulthood, Mr. Skakel was a community leader in the best sense of the term, devoting much of his time and talents to volunteer service. He was vice chair of the Rutland County Democratic Committee, and an avid and active campaigner for numerous local and statewide candidates. He was recently invited to join the board of the Nature Conservancy of Vermont. Previously, he served as a long-time selectman for the town of Wallingford, and was also a selectman in Shrewsbury.

Mr. Skakel served many years on the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board. He was president of the board of the Chaffee Art Center the first year it opened with year-round exhibits.

Mr. Skakel was a man of far-reaching and eclectic enthusiasms, which he generously shared with his wide circle of friends. He was a beekeeper, a spirited creator and collector of art, an avid gardener, and known for his love of pyrotechnics and his collection of burls and various bone artifacts. As a young man, he became an expert falconer and piloted his own small airplane. He was a kayaker and hiker who was happiest outdoors, and who last summer backpacked a good part of the Long Trail.

He was a wide-ranging reader and also a fine writer; over the past months, he wrote a monthly article for an environmental series published in the Sunday Times-Argus/Rutland Herald.

Among Mr. Skakel's most memorable qualities were his joie de vivre and his wry sense of humor, both of which lightened the load of those working with him on whatever task he was involved with.

A celebration of Mr. Skakel's life will be announced at a later date.

Memorial contributions may be made to Mark Skakel Forestry Scholarship at Stafford Technical Center.

View the guest book at www.rutlandherald.com/ obits.