Volunteering a passion for Skinner

Jean Skinner was married for 53 years, a volunteer for about that many, a teacher for seven years, a friend for life and the mother of two children.

“I'm adopted. Both her children are adopted. You don't get any luckier than being adopted by Jean Skinner,” said her son, J. Michael Skinner of Omaha. “She was a good mom.”

Jean M. Bednar Skinner, 75, died unexpectedly Wednesday at her Naples, Fla., home. She suffered a heart attack, said her husband, C. Mickey Skinner.

An Omaha native, Jean Skinner graduated from the then-Omaha University and taught English at Central High School for seven years.

She had been a resident of Naples for 20 years, coming from Hershey, Pa., and before that Omaha.

Jean Skinner volunteered with many groups throughout her life.

During the Skinners' years in Omaha, when her husband was executive vice president with his extended family's Skinner Macaroni Co., her volunteer work included the Assistance League, Childrens Hospital, Ak-Sar-Ben, the Omaha Symphony and St. Robert Bellarmine Catholic Church.

She was active with anti-drug education programs in Omaha and nationally, her husband said.

In 1984, the Skinners moved to Hershey, where he became president and CEO of Hershey's San Giorgio-Skinner Co. In Pennsylvania, Jean Skinner was president of the Harrisburg Symphony.

Nationally, she was a board member and president of the Association of Major Symphony Orchestra Volunteers.

Most recently, she had been involved with Naples' Friends of Art as a board member and vice president. She also had served three terms as its president.

“Jean was not one who would flaunt any of these things,” said her husband.

Other survivors include daughter Nancy M. Wolfe of Palmyra, Pa., and one grandson.

A funeral Mass will be at 10 a.m. Monday at St. William Catholic Church in Naples. A memorial service in Omaha will be scheduled at a later date.

Contact the writer:

444-1165, sue.truax@owh.com

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