Roll Call Tribute
Charles "Charley" Skillman Jr. '57 July 9, 2018 9:45 AM updated: July 9, 2018 9:49 AM
Nelsen Williamsburg Funeral Home obituary
Williamsburg, VA
757-565-1141
Charles Spencer Skillman Jr.
AUGUST 27, 1935 – JULY 3, 2018
Charley Skillman, Jr., 82, of Williamsburg, VA, passed from this life on July 3, 2018, at his home surrounded by his wife, Jan, of 56 years, and other family members. He is survived by his wife, Jan; daughters Lynda LaVally (David) of Savannah, Georgia; Kimberly Denning (Michael) of Atlanta, GA; Karen Baker (Christopher) of York, PA; Holly Davis (Derrick) of Boonsboro, MD; grandsons J. Spencer Davis, Michael LaVally, Aaron Denning, Stephen Baker, Bryce Davis; granddaughters Sarah LaVally, Kathryn Baker, Madeleine Davis, Jessica Denning, Maria Baker; sisters Sandra Patterson (R.L.) of Beaufort, SC, Diane Grooters (John) of Orange, TX; brother Ross Skillman (Barbara) of College Station, TX; and cousin Diane Woods Hammett (Anthony) of College Station, TX. Charley was preceded in death by his father Col. Charles Skillman; mother Myrtle Skillman; and sister Eileen Norris.
Charley was born August 27, 1935, in New Brunswick, NJ. As a military family, Charley and his siblings lived on nearly all the U.S. Army bases and he enrolled in eleven different schools by the time he graduated in 1953, from Frankfurt (aMain) American High School in Frankfurt, Germany. His next adventure included an Atlantic crossing through the middle of a hurricane to arrive in College Station, TX.
Graduating as a Distinguished Military Student in 1957, Charley earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering at Texas A&M University. While attending Texas A&M, he was one of Bear Bryant’s student managers. Charley went directly into the Armed Forces as a Regular Army officer (as distinguished from a Reserve) and he chose to be assigned to Fort Belvoir, VA, where his father was currently stationed. Charley was Airborne, Ranger and Special Forces trained and earned his Jumpmaster wings after completing nine jumps in three weeks. He served as First Lieutenant, Platoon Leader of the 559th Eng Co (Cmbt) and was honorably discharged in 1961.
After completing his military assignments, Charley worked as a traffic engineer for the City of Arlington, TX, where met his wife, Jan. They moved to Lubbock, TX, where he taught at Texas Tech University. Charley rejoined the Armed Forces as a Reserve in the Army Corps of Engineers reaching the rank of Captain when honorably discharged in September 1969. In 1966, he moved his young family to Clear Lake City, TX, as a TRW employee contracted to work with NASA at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX. Charley worked on the Apollo program until the last flight in 1972, including Apollo 11, the first lunar landing (July 20, 1969), and the nearly ill-fated Apollo 13. Charley was one of several Apollo 13 mission engineers called in during the night in response to, “Houston, we have a problem.” He was on a team that was tasked with determining the exact mass of all the spacecraft components to help ensure minimal fuel usage for their unplanned slingshot around the moon and return to Earth.
Charley was part of a team that designed the control center system for the Washington Metropolitan Mass Transit Authority’s METRO project, moving his family from Clear Lake City, TX to Gaithersburg, MD, to help install the train control system for the DC Metro in time for the Bicentennial celebration in 1976. Employed by Northern American Rockwell Information System Company, Charley was contracted by Potomac Electric Power Company as the on-site programmer and troubleshooter for the newly installed control center. Charley continued to work for Railway Transportation System (RTS) until his retirement in 2003, with the highlight of his systems engineer career being his work on the high speed rail link between the English end of the channel tunnel at Folkstone and London.
Charley was an active member of Williamsburg United Methodist Church (WUMC) where he was a Stephen Minister and a volunteer with Respite Care at WUMC. Throughout his life, Charley’s strong Christian faith was evident through his actions of service in all the communities in which he lived. Charley remained an enthusiastic outdoors, physically fit individual all his life as he enjoyed cross-country skiing, golf, biking, hiking, and walking (five miles a day), if only to keep moving. And if he was not outside, he was inside playing bridge or bowling with his friends in Monday Morning Bridge or his Tuesday bowling league.
Jan and Charley spent their retirement traveling to many major world cities, including Berlin, Brussels, Rome, Dublin, Shanghi, Beijing, Paris, Amsterdam, Toronto, Panama Canal and eight islands in the Caribbean (Charley’s favorite adventure). If they were not traveling, then he was spending time with his ten grandchildren playing any card, board or laser tag game they asked him to play.
A Memorial Service and Reception is planned on Wednesday, July 11, 2018, at 2pm at Williamsburg United Methodist Church, 500 Jamestown Road, Williamsburg, VA 23185. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that donations be made to the church, (www.williamsburgumc.org), the church’s Respite Care, or the charity of your choice in Charley’s name.
Arrangements are being made by Nelsen Funeral Home. Online condolences may be offered at www.nelsenwilliamsburg.com.
As Charley always says, “God bless you.”
Services
11
JULY
Memorial Service
2:00 pm
WILLIAMSBURG UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
500 Jamestown Road
Williamsburg, Virginia 23188
Williamsburg, VA
757-565-1141
Charles Spencer Skillman Jr.
AUGUST 27, 1935 – JULY 3, 2018
Charley Skillman, Jr., 82, of Williamsburg, VA, passed from this life on July 3, 2018, at his home surrounded by his wife, Jan, of 56 years, and other family members. He is survived by his wife, Jan; daughters Lynda LaVally (David) of Savannah, Georgia; Kimberly Denning (Michael) of Atlanta, GA; Karen Baker (Christopher) of York, PA; Holly Davis (Derrick) of Boonsboro, MD; grandsons J. Spencer Davis, Michael LaVally, Aaron Denning, Stephen Baker, Bryce Davis; granddaughters Sarah LaVally, Kathryn Baker, Madeleine Davis, Jessica Denning, Maria Baker; sisters Sandra Patterson (R.L.) of Beaufort, SC, Diane Grooters (John) of Orange, TX; brother Ross Skillman (Barbara) of College Station, TX; and cousin Diane Woods Hammett (Anthony) of College Station, TX. Charley was preceded in death by his father Col. Charles Skillman; mother Myrtle Skillman; and sister Eileen Norris.
Charley was born August 27, 1935, in New Brunswick, NJ. As a military family, Charley and his siblings lived on nearly all the U.S. Army bases and he enrolled in eleven different schools by the time he graduated in 1953, from Frankfurt (aMain) American High School in Frankfurt, Germany. His next adventure included an Atlantic crossing through the middle of a hurricane to arrive in College Station, TX.
Graduating as a Distinguished Military Student in 1957, Charley earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering at Texas A&M University. While attending Texas A&M, he was one of Bear Bryant’s student managers. Charley went directly into the Armed Forces as a Regular Army officer (as distinguished from a Reserve) and he chose to be assigned to Fort Belvoir, VA, where his father was currently stationed. Charley was Airborne, Ranger and Special Forces trained and earned his Jumpmaster wings after completing nine jumps in three weeks. He served as First Lieutenant, Platoon Leader of the 559th Eng Co (Cmbt) and was honorably discharged in 1961.
After completing his military assignments, Charley worked as a traffic engineer for the City of Arlington, TX, where met his wife, Jan. They moved to Lubbock, TX, where he taught at Texas Tech University. Charley rejoined the Armed Forces as a Reserve in the Army Corps of Engineers reaching the rank of Captain when honorably discharged in September 1969. In 1966, he moved his young family to Clear Lake City, TX, as a TRW employee contracted to work with NASA at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX. Charley worked on the Apollo program until the last flight in 1972, including Apollo 11, the first lunar landing (July 20, 1969), and the nearly ill-fated Apollo 13. Charley was one of several Apollo 13 mission engineers called in during the night in response to, “Houston, we have a problem.” He was on a team that was tasked with determining the exact mass of all the spacecraft components to help ensure minimal fuel usage for their unplanned slingshot around the moon and return to Earth.
Charley was part of a team that designed the control center system for the Washington Metropolitan Mass Transit Authority’s METRO project, moving his family from Clear Lake City, TX to Gaithersburg, MD, to help install the train control system for the DC Metro in time for the Bicentennial celebration in 1976. Employed by Northern American Rockwell Information System Company, Charley was contracted by Potomac Electric Power Company as the on-site programmer and troubleshooter for the newly installed control center. Charley continued to work for Railway Transportation System (RTS) until his retirement in 2003, with the highlight of his systems engineer career being his work on the high speed rail link between the English end of the channel tunnel at Folkstone and London.
Charley was an active member of Williamsburg United Methodist Church (WUMC) where he was a Stephen Minister and a volunteer with Respite Care at WUMC. Throughout his life, Charley’s strong Christian faith was evident through his actions of service in all the communities in which he lived. Charley remained an enthusiastic outdoors, physically fit individual all his life as he enjoyed cross-country skiing, golf, biking, hiking, and walking (five miles a day), if only to keep moving. And if he was not outside, he was inside playing bridge or bowling with his friends in Monday Morning Bridge or his Tuesday bowling league.
Jan and Charley spent their retirement traveling to many major world cities, including Berlin, Brussels, Rome, Dublin, Shanghi, Beijing, Paris, Amsterdam, Toronto, Panama Canal and eight islands in the Caribbean (Charley’s favorite adventure). If they were not traveling, then he was spending time with his ten grandchildren playing any card, board or laser tag game they asked him to play.
A Memorial Service and Reception is planned on Wednesday, July 11, 2018, at 2pm at Williamsburg United Methodist Church, 500 Jamestown Road, Williamsburg, VA 23185. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that donations be made to the church, (www.williamsburgumc.org), the church’s Respite Care, or the charity of your choice in Charley’s name.
Arrangements are being made by Nelsen Funeral Home. Online condolences may be offered at www.nelsenwilliamsburg.com.
As Charley always says, “God bless you.”
Services
11
JULY
Memorial Service
2:00 pm
WILLIAMSBURG UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
500 Jamestown Road
Williamsburg, Virginia 23188
505 George Bush Drive
College Station, TX 77840
(979) 845-7514
When Aggies see a need, their energy and their selflessness draw others into the cause, and good things happen.
© 2024 The Association of Former Students of Texas A&M University, All Rights Reserved