After retiring from the US Air Force after nearly 30 years, he started a second career for a US defense contractor, and retired a second time after 20 years.
His family was dear to him. He was married for 65 years to Mae Ellen Wilson Skinnell until her death suddenly ended their happy union in 2018.
He was a loving patriarch, leaving a legacy of five children, fifteen grandchildren, nine great grandchildren, and one great-great grandchild.
I often think about how he tried to accept us in a more modern age, yet tried to keep one foot rooted in his own past, growing up on a farm in rural Virginia, a past that instilled the virtues of hard work and purity of spirit. Born in 1931, he played an active role of an American and a world in transition, whose life exemplified that of the "the greatest generation", and I think all of us are fortunate to have been influenced by him.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.wcfishleander.com for the Skinnell family.
