Carol Lee Skinner

Carol Lee (née Towbes) was born in Washington D.C. on May 27, 1931, daughter of Thelma and Louis Towbes. She attended Theodore Roosevelt High School (Class of 1949), where she was an active student, serving as Captain of the Roosevelt Girl Cadets, a member of the Y-Teen Club, a ROUGH RIDER, the Girls’ Auxiliary, and Girls Basketball, Baseball, Speedball and Hockey.

After graduating in high school, Carol Lee attended the University of Maryland, College of Education, graduating in 1953 with a B.A., English. As a Terrapin, she was a member of AEΦ, the Women’s League and the Freshman Orientation Committee.

Carol Lee relished attending Washington Redskins football games with her father and loved fishing with him in Ocean City; often telling stories of her many adventures which always ended in laughter, particularly when they involved her Aunt Pearl. A lifelong sports fan, she never stopped rooting for her hometown Redskins, making several trips with her son, Rob, to attend games well into her eighties. And on her 85th birthday trip, her Redskins delivered a win worth remembering, beating the much-hated New York Giants (second only to the Cowboys), at Giant Stadium!

While her allegiance to the Redskins never faltered, her love of sports spilled over into the University of Southern California Trojans, and most importantly, her beloved Los Angeles Lakers. A regular for USC home games with her son and his merry band of tailgaters. Watching sports with her was like being in a live-commentary booth with an expert announcer. Never shy in sharing her feelings, she would give equal ire to stupid plays as well as bad officiating.

Travel was more than a passion. Traveling near and far. Carol Lee embraced other cultures and appreciated the differences that make us both unique and human. It likely started with her college graduation trip across the country with her girlfriends in a convertible. She knew how to rough it - camping “out in the sticks” in Arizona, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico. And later to Cuba, China, cruising the Nile and the Mediterranean, and even a safari in Africa - all on her own – and several trips to Europe and England with her grandchildren (not to mention many trips Disneyland).

Carol Lee was a member Hadassah, the Santa Barbara Mahjong “Mafia”, volunteered for various service organizations and animal shelters, and a generous donor to many charitable organizations as well as Santa Barbara Hillel and Congregation Temple B’nai B’rith.

She is survived by her son, Robert Skinner and his wife, Meghan, her three grandchildren, Natalie, Amanda and Koby, niece Lianne Towbes, niece Carrie Towbes and her husband, John Lewis, and their children, Allison and Ari.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on August 21, 2026, at King David Memorial Park, Falls Church, Virgina. In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes donations to the Alzheimer’s Association.