Extracted from The Ruston Daily Leader (Ruston, LA)
Friday, March 5, 2010

John W. Skinner

Funeral service for Mr. John W. Skinner, age 96, of Hilly will be held at 2:00 PM Sunday, February 28, 2010 at Kilpatrick Funeral Home in Ruston. Officiating the service will be Rev. Don Lanier. Interment will follow at Unionville Cemetery under the direction of Kilpatrick Funeral Home in Ruston.

Mr. John W. Skinner of Hilly, Louisiana died Friday, February 26, 2010. He was born November 27, 1913 in Greenwood, Louisiana and moved to Hilly with his family in 1917. Mr. Skinner continued to live on the family farm until his death. A gunnery sergeant and Military Policeman in the Philippines during World War II, Mr. Skinner returned to Hilly after the war and established one of the early commercial peach orchards in the parish. In 1950 he joined the then new California Oil processing plant in Hilly, which later became Chevron Oil, and worked there until his retirement in the 1970s.

Mr. Skinner is survived by his wife Howelene Polly Shirey Skinner, his daughters Alexa Ginn of Hilly, Leah Thomas of Houston, Texas and Katherine Brown of Baytown, Texas, grandchildren Luke Thompson of Austin, Texas, Jessy Ginn of Oshawa, Ontario, McKinzie Ginn of Hilly, Summer Gafford of St. Louis, Missouri, Allison Thomas of New York, New York, Alec Brown of Denver, Colorado, and Megan Brown of Dallas, Texas, one great grandson, Mason Gafford of St. Louis. Mr. Skinner is also survived by his brother Sam David Skinner, Jr. of Colfax, Louisiana.

Visitation will be held from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM Saturday, February 27, 2010 at Kilpatrick Funeral Home in Ruston.

Memorials may be sent to National Alzheimers Association, 225 N. Michigan Ave. Floor 17 Chicago, IL. 60601.

Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.kilpatrickfuneralhomes.com.