Obituary of Mr. William "Kerry" Skinner
After a brief illness, Kerry went home to be with his Lord and Saviour on Friday January 26th, 2024. He grew up in a busy household in Toronto, being the third of five sons. He spoke fondly of his childhood with his family, telling many stories of the antics that he and his brothers would get into in their neighbourhood and during visits to their grandparent’s rural home in Stirling, Ontario. Throughout his life family remained very important to him.
School was also important to Kerry. He went to Earl Beatty Public School until grade 8 and then Riverdale Collegiate Institute (RCI) for high school. RCI’s motto is “There is no greater school” and Kerry believed that with all his heart. The five years he spent there were some of the happiest of his life. He was delighted recently when his grandchildren started attending Riverdale as well.
After high school Kerry took his love for learning and made it his career. He went to Teacher’s College to become an elementary school teacher. In addition to teaching, he also worked as a school librarian, and was promoted to vice-principal and eventually principal positions. He was devoted to the schools that he lead and worked hard at creating a relaxed and supportive environment for both students and staff.
For most of his life Kerry was a lifelong church member and was active in the churches that he attended. His commitment to his faith was most passionately expressed in his love for gospel music. Over the years, this interest led him to organize many group events for fellow church members, featuring dinner fellowship followed by a Christian music concert.
As family was very important to him, Kerry’s grandchildren became a great priority in his life. He cared greatly about making birthdays and holidays special for them and was very generous and thoughtful when selecting the cards and many gifts that he bought for them. He particularly enjoyed spending time with them at his cottage in Prince Edward County. This was often combined with visits from his brothers and their families, which made him all the happier.
A private burial service will take place on Saturday February 3rd, 2024. Expressions of sympathy through mailed cards or messages posted to this website would be greatly appreciated by the family. In lieu of flowers, donations in Kerry’s memory, can be made to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation or the Heart and Stroke Foundation.
