Kevin Skinner

With heavy hearts, the family announces Kevin passed away on Saturday, May 27, 2017 while surrounded by love, at the age of 56. Loving husband and best friend of Barbara for 31 years. Proud and loving Dad to Ryan, Kaitlyn, Kyle and Brandon. He will also be remembered by his mother Donna Skinner, brother Barry (Ann Marie), sisters Donna Lee (Uel), Maureen (Dave), sister in-laws Mary Lou (Wayne) and Donna, and brother in-law Arthur and many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. He will also be missed by his faithful companion, Holly. Kevin is reunited in heaven with his father Ronald Skinner, grandparents Fred and Gertie Skinner and many much-loved relatives. Kevin enjoyed his successful career in the Pharmaceuticals Industry with Purdue, Bayer and Marion Merrell Dow. He coached Cambridge youth hockey and baseball and played men’s hockey and baseball for many years and enjoyed time on the links. Family will receive relatives and friends at the T. Little Funeral Home, 223 Main Street, Cambridge (519-623-1290) on Thursday, June 1st from 2 – 4 p.m. and 7 – 9 p.m. Prayers at 8 p.m. The Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Clement’s Catholic Church, 745 Duke Street, Cambridge on Friday, June 2, 2017 at 11 a.m. Cremation will follow. As expressions of sympathy, donations to the Heart and Stroke Foundation would be gratefully appreciated by his family.

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Kevin Skinner was a modest man, quiet and observant in his ways. He was trustworthy and traditional in his approach to his life and in his relationships. He was tough-minded with the kind of “stick to it” attitude that earned the respect of all who knew him. He was also a man who was meticulous, carefully disciplined, and orderly in virtually everything he undertook. Realistic about life, he was always at the ready, prepared to take on responsibility.

Kevin was born on August 16, 1960 at Northside General Hospital in North Sydney, Nova Scotia. His parents were Ronald and Madonna (nee McLean) Skinner. He was brought up to be self-confident and dependable. These were traits that would serve him well throughout his life.

As a young child, Kevin developed a variety of interests and the things he enjoyed doing he did well. He was always curious about the world around him and was often eager to explore it. Kevin played hockey, baseball, basketball competitively up to University and then continued playing baseball till 2016 with his great group of guys “Ernie's team”. Kevin's memorable achievements included being scouted for a Toronto Blue Jay’s tryout as a teenager.

He also enjoyed going to a Toronto Blue Jay game or a Toronto Maple game with his wife Barbara or kids. Or relax just at home and watch the game on his big screen TV with family.

He graduated from Chinguacousy Secondary School in 1979. He graduated high school with honours. Kevin loved played on his high school sports teams, he was proud of going far in basketball and volleyball.

He earned his Bachelor of Science Degree at the University of Toronto, Erindale Campus in 1983. He started a great friendship at University with Mike Collins. They loved to play sports on their time off and had many competitive games of squash, basketball and tennis. A fond memory was when Mike, his brother in law “Moose” and Kevin drove to Fort Myers, Florida in a tiny Toyota the day after graduation.

Always considered to be a loyal friend, Kevin was fortunate to have close friends during his life. Since he disliked making generalizations about people and preferred to draw his own conclusions based on direct observation, Kevin was able to see beneath the surface of relationships and became a true friend to those who knew him. He was committed to his friends and valued the trust he placed in them. It was not uncommon for Kevin to go beyond the call of duty for others, and friends frequently sought him out for advice because he had a knack for coming up with practical solutions to any type of dilemma. Later in life, he became friends with Coworkers: Trevor Juniper, Mike Provost, John Gibbons, John Smith, and Rick Bendel and many more friends from his baseball team, hockey team, Bayer Pharmaceuticals and Purdue.

On a sunny, hot day of August 9, 1986 Kevin exchanged wedding vows with Barbara Pearse at Blessed Trinity Catholic Parish of Willowdale, ON. Compassionate and devoted to Barbara, Kevin held endearing, traditional values about marriage and family life. He took the responsibility of marriage to heart, giving it his total commitment. He was a source of strength to Barbara and using his gifts at nurturing one-on-one relationships, he worked hard to make his new family happy.

Kevin brought the same traditional values in his marriage to bear on how he raised his children. He was a good parent to them, always firm yet fair in his dealings. He would always listen carefully and think things through before he acted, even when it was an adverse situation. December 26, 1988 Kevin and Barbara were blessed with their first born son, Ryan Kevin Joseph and on May 28, 1992 beautiful triplets, daughter and two sons, Kaitlyn Barbara Colleen, Kyle Cameron Pearse and Brandon Jonathan Frederick.

Kevin greatly enjoyed what he did for a living. He was a dedicated and hard worker who expected the same in return from his co-workers. He started his career at Marion Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals in sales after graduating university as a Medical Sales Rep for the Toronto territory and quickly got promoted to Division Manager, which moved Barbara and Kevin to Ottawa, Ontario where he there had much success and received the prestigious award of District Manager of the year at Merrell Dow. The family then moved to Newmarket, and then to Kirkland, Quebec and back to Newmarket for promotions for Kevin’s career. Finally settling in Cambridge, Ontario he then went on to work at Bayer for 17 years in various roles finishing as Vice President and General Manager. Consumer Care Division. He enjoyed two years of early retirement with Barbara till he decided to return to work at Purdue Pharma as the Director of OTC and new Business Development. Kevin thoroughly enjoyed this company and brought a wealth of knowledge and experience to his new role and made great new friends.

Kevin found pleasure in playing sports, was competitive and enjoyed keeping up with his favourite professional teams. In high school, Kevin played hockey, baseball, basketball and volleyball. In his university years, Kevin continued to stay active by playing squash and basketball with Mike and other university friends. Recreational sports include golf, skiing, hockey, volleyball, basketball and baseball on the Ernie's team. He would watch his favorite sporting events whenever he got the opportunity. Tops on his list were the Toronto Blue Jays, Maple Leafs and Raptors. He also loved to watch his daughter play volleyball at Bowling Green State University and in Lugo, Spain and his sons play hockey and baseball.

Many organizations were grateful to have Kevin as a member, Kevin was an active member of the Providence Healthcare Foundation Fundraising Committee and the Consumer Health Products Canada Board of Directors.

As a man who always showed great commitment to the things he believed in, it’s little wonder that Kevin was so active in his community. Kevin was a member of several community groups, including coaching for many years in Hespeler hockey, as well as Cambridge Hockey and Cambridge Baseball.

Kevin was a man who was devoted to his faith. He was a member of St. Patrick's Parish in Nepean for 6 years, then St. Patrick's Catholic Church for 14 years and St. Clement's Catholic Church for 8 years, both in Cambridge.

Kevin sought out practical solutions, not individual recognition. He was always grounded and objective, feeling a strong sense of responsibility for taking care of what needed to be done. This selfless attitude earned Kevin many accolades for his efforts and achievements.

Kevin enjoyed their family vacations when the children were young, camping in Ontario, P.E.I., Cape, Breton Nova Scotia; trips to Disney, Florida, Daytona Beach, Florida, New York, Chicago, Lugo, Spain and Madrid, Spain. Favorite vacations recently with Barbara included Jamaica April 2017, San Diego January 2017, Mexico April 2016, Spain Christmas 2014, and their amazing and special trip to Rome, Venice, Florence, Tuscany Italy in 2012 for their 25 wedding anniversary.

Kevin was a lover of animals and cherished his playful Holly and beloved Buster. They were his best friends; he had Buster for 13 years and Holly is now 6. He received much joy from them when he came home from the office and Holly and Buster would go to the door happily barking and wagging their tails in happiness to see him! After dinner Holly would bring him a toy to throw in the air so she could practice her catching skills. He enjoyed the energy and happiness that she exhibited. They would play this catch game for a while, not sure who was enjoying it more!

He is survived by his wife Barbara, children Ryan, Kaitlyn, Kyle and Brandon. Services were held at T. Little Funeral Home and St. Clement's Church.

Commitment is a key word that can be used to describe the life of Kevin Skinner. He was committed to living the life of a good man who was both practical and trustworthy. He was committed to the traditional values that he upheld his entire life. He committed himself to being a hard worker who expected the same effort in return from those around him. Most of all, he was committed to those he knew and loved.

Memories of Kevin:

When Kevin was growing up, his family was part of the closely knit Skinner clan. Both he and his cousins created great memories, especially as teenagers, both here in Ontario and camping in Nova Scotia. Their fathers were brothers and our mothers were friends before their families were formed.

Kevin was an athlete, mentor, and coach for his four children and many of the children in his communities over the years. His many baseball jersey's, open laced shoes, and sunglasses for every season are just a few of the things that create our lasting memories.

We are proud that Kevin was a highly respected and progressive professional in the world of Pharma. Impacting many of the people he worked with in more than the business context.

He was great fun when you got him into the sun with relaxing rum. His sense of humor jumped out at you and made you enjoy him even more.

His relationship with Barb was amazing and the love and respect they had for each other is unique. The early morning teas before Kevin went to work at 5:30 am and the time with the children in the evenings was special to both of them.

While Kevin may not be here on earth with us anymore he is with us in many ways. In our photos, memories, and most importantly he lives on in Ryan, Brandon, Kyle, and Kaitlyn. His influence and guidance is visible in the choices they make, how they support each other, and the relationships they have with the people they love.

Not very long ago, Kevin and his cousins were talking about their favourite meal, and his choice included his Nanna Gertie’s blueberry pie. Kevin, we will look forward to our next encounter. Until then, say hello to everyone and enjoy some of that great blueberry pie and with Nanna Gertie.

We Love You! Todd & Troy Skinner

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I’m Free

Don’t grieve for me, for

now I’m free

I’m following the path

God has laid you see.

I took His hand when I heard him call

I turned my back and left it all.

I could not stay another day

To Laugh, to love, to

work, to play.

Tasks left undone must

Stay that way

I found that peace at the

close of day.

If my parting has left a void

Then fill it with remembered joy.

A friendship shared, a laugh, a kiss

Oh yes, these things I too will miss.

Be not burdened with times of sorrow

I wish you the sunshine

of tomorrow.

My life’s been full, I savoured much

Good friends, good times,

A loved one’s touch.

Perhaps my time seemed

All too brief

Don’t lengthen it now

With undue grief.

Lift up your hearts, and

Peace to thee

God wanted me now; He set me free.

Author Unknown

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Goodnight my love, until we meet again

Thank you for giving me our four beautiful, caring, loving children. Each time I see or am with them I will see you in them and think of you and remember you and our wonderful times together. They have many of your wonderful qualities that I fell in love with and admired in you.

I have our children to help get me through the dark and lonely days ahead without you - we need each other to count on and comfort each other.

Thank you for everything you have done to make our life so much better.

I will never, ever forget you. I will miss you every minute of the day.

You were taken from us way too young, and without notice. We had so many wonderful plans ahead for you and I. Life is unfair, but I will not become bitter, I will keep close to my heart all the wonderful things we shared, times we shared, places we went and children we raised. We had so much to be thankful for, Our Blessings, you and me, I love you, I miss you forever, Love your Billy

Good night, I’ll love you forever, Love Barbara XO

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SKINNER, Ronald “Kevin”

With heavy hearts, the family announce Kevin passed away on Saturday, May 27, 2017 while surrounded by love, at the age of 56. Loving husband and best friend of Barbara for 31 years. Proud and loving Dad to Ryan, Kaitlyn, Kyle and Brandon. He will also be lovingly remembered by his mother Donna Skinner, brother Barry (Ann Marie), sisters Donna Lee (Uel), Maureen (Dave), sister in-laws Mary Lou (Wayne) and Donna, and brother in-law Arthur and many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. He will also be missed by his faithful companion, Holly. Kevin is reunited in heaven with his father Ronald Skinner, grandparents Fred and Gertie Skinner and many much-loved relatives. Kevin enjoyed his successful career in the Pharmaceuticals Industry with Purdue, Bayer and Marion Merrell Dow. He coached Cambridge youth hockey and baseball and played men’s hockey and baseball for many years and enjoyed time on the links. Family will receive relatives and friends at the T. Little Funeral Home, 223 Main Street, Cambridge (519-623-1290) on Thursday, June 1st from 2 – 4 p.m. and 7 – 9 p.m. Prayers at 8 p.m. The Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Clement’s Catholic Church, 745 Duke Street, Cambridge on Friday, June 2, 2017 at 11 a.m. Cremation will follow. As expressions of sympathy, donations to the Heart and Stroke Foundation would be gratefully appreciated by his family.