Mary Van Dyne Skinner

TROY - Mary Van Dyne Skinner, 90, died peacefully at her home on Friday, June 15, 2007 surrounded by her family. She was born on October 28, 1916, the daughter of Henry B. and Dorothy Nearing Van Dyne of Troy. Mary attended Troy schools and the Madeira School in Virginia. While working in New York City following college, she met Osmun Skinner and they were married on June 22, 1940. They moved to Troy and, except for several years in Washington, D.C. during World War II, she remained in Troy for the remainder of her life. Osmun Skinner predeceased her in 1988. She is survived by her four children, Scott Skinner of Middlesex, Vermont, Catherine McDowell of Ann Arbor, Michigan, Douglas Skinner of White Oak, Pennsylvania, and Stephen Skinner of Troy. A fifth child, Henry, died at birth. She is also survived by nine grandchildren; Ian and Laura McDowell, Molly Hester, and Justin, Wilson Danielle, Stephanie, Luke and Todd Skinner, as well as two great grandchildren, Kyle and Maya Hester. Mary was known for her devotion to her family, her sense of humor, her spirited enjoyment of life, and her widely varied interests. She was very musical and founded an all girls' band, The Melodious Maniacs, when she was a student at Troy high School. In later years, she played the accordion and loved to dance the polka. She loved the theater and acted in a large number of productions with the Troy, Mansfield and Elmira community theaters. The highlight of her theatrical career was her role as Lady MacBeth in Elmira in 1959. As she entered her sixties, she took up running and soon was winning races in her age group. She continued to run with great zest until leg injuries forced her to stop. Her proudest running achievement was completing the Honolulu Marathon with her son Steve when she was 66 years old. A private service will be held at the convenience of the family. In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to the Bradford County Humane Society, US Route 220, Ulster, PA, 18850. The Vickery Funeral Home, Inc. 110 West Main Street ,Troy, PA 16947 has been entrusted with the arrangements.