Margaret Skinner Smith

Margaret is survived by her husband of 29 years, Harry Smith, and their loving dog Zoomie; daughter Brenda (Richard) Fink of Oneonta, NY; grandson Josh (Kari) Rutherford of Maryland, NY; grandson Adam (Brianna) Rutherford of Oneonta, NY; daughter Shanon (Terry) Shultz of Oneonta, NY; granddaughter Karsen (Jared) Rifkind and great grandchildren Elliott and Emma Rifkind of Wendell, NC; granddaughter Leeza (Jacob) Shultz of Charlotte, NC; grandson Matt Shultz of Wendell, NC; siblings Jack (Annette) Skinner of Hickory, NC, Betty (Jack) Siewers of Nineveh, NY, Ron (Linda) Skinner of El Campo, TX, and Kathy Jeff Newman of Unadilla, NY; along with many nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews. Margaret is predeceased by her parents, Jack and Marguerite Skinner, and niece Julie Steele.

Born April 16, 1949 in Sidney NY to Jack and Marguerite (Pollard) Skinner. The fourth of five children raised on a family farm in Unadilla, many laughs and adventurous times were made.

Known as Peggy in her younger years, she attended Sidney Central School, graduating in 1967.

Starting a family after high school, she worked a variety of secretarial positions. She found a passion at SUNY Oneonta as an administrative assistant for 20 years, which led to furthering her education in planning coordination and career at DMV, a dutch company in Delhi, Takasago in NJ, and ending at Silver Dollar optical in Oneonta.

Margaret was always looking for the next adventure. She and her husband, Harry, owned and operated a seafood restaurant, Oscar’s, in NJ. They moved and saw several states and always embraced the moment.

Margaret was known for her outgoing, friendly and extremely competitive nature. An avid sports fan, if you didn’t see her on the golf course, she would be watching a grandchild's sporting event, a yankee game, a giants game, or a tampa bay lighting game. We often would check game schedules to see if Mom would answer a call or if we’d have to wait until after a game.

Her love for animals was just as strong. Having owned many four legged babies in her life, she loved every one of them deeply and was a truly devoted pet mom and nana. The suddenness of this has left our entire family in disbelief. She loved us all and we know that. She had a zest for life that we will never forget. She was the coolest mom/nana around.

In Lieu of Flowers Margaret would love it if you would make a donation to your local SPCA in her memory. Calling hours will be held on Saturday, September 26, 2026 from 1:00 to 3:00 PM with a time of sharing beginning at 2:30 PM in the Grummons-Bookhout-Bennett Funerals & Cremations, 14 Grand Street, Oneonta, New York.