By Staff
Mr. Robert LeRoy Skillen, 77, of Bakersville, died Friday, Jan. 2, 2009, at home.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Sat., Jan. 17, 2009, in First Presbyterian Church of Spruce Pine.
Mr. Skillen was a 1954 graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He was a career officer in the Navy, serving for 31 years. He was a photo reconnaissance pilot during the Vietnam War, where he was awarded 24 medals, including the Distinguished Flying Cross. He retired at the rank of captain after serving as commanding officer of the Naval Photographic Center in Washington, D.C. He was married to Mary Plummer Skillen, who survives. He served as president of Morrison Airfield Foundation. He was a member and elder of First Presbyterian Church of Spruce Pine.
Survivors include four children, Elizabeth Wilson of Leasburg, Katherine D’Andrea of Atlanta, Ga., Robert Skillen of Bakersville and James Skillen of Washington; 11 grandchildren and one sister, Melissa Shull of Gate City, Va.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Hospice of Mitchell County or the Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 4301 W. Markham St., Slot 816, Little Rock, AR 72205.
Arrangements are by Henline-Hughes Funeral Home.