Obituary: William Baldwin Skiff, 1932-2024 

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• Courtesy
• William Skiff

Having lived a joy-filled life in which every opportunity to dance was taken and the smallest act of joy or kindness was consistently and readily given, William Baldwin Skiff, age 91, left us on February 21, 2024, for his next great adventure.

A seventh-generation Vermonter from Jeffersonville, Bill has a family history that stretches from the first sheriff in the tiny hamlet of Hinesburg to a community-minded sponsor of the old Mary Fletcher Hospital, thus cementing his love of all things western and a lifelong commitment to personally and professionally making others’ lives better.

Bill attended Middlebury College, where selling homemade doughnuts and milk to the guys in the dorms helped “this old farm-boy” settle in. With a master’s in physical education from Springfield College, he returned to Stowe to teach PE, mentoring future Olympic skier Billy Kidd. He devoted his professional life to helping others, serving as an Army psychiatric social worker, the administrator of wilderness camps for justice-involved youth in New York State and a high school guidance professional at Mount Mansfield Union High School.

One of his greatest joys, years after retiring from MMU, was to be joyfully greeted by a former student, now happy and with a family of their own, and hear the words “Hey, Mr. Skiff! You sure saved my a&$ in high school!”

Together with his wife, Ruth, Bill raised four children, who agree their childhood was a blast. From towing them through snow-covered neighborhood streets behind his Datsun pickup on an old toboggan to organizing raucous western-themed barn dances complete with square dancing for their high school graduations, the memories are many.

With an irrepressible energy, Bill created occasions that brought people together, including the Williston Fourth of July Frog Jumping Contest, the Williston/Richmond Rotary, the “old-timer” — a humorous character he’d portray at special events — and the transformation of his and Ruth’s farmhouse into a 1920s speakeasy and mobster den for parties. Essentially a nonmusician, he nevertheless played in a Dixieland band and was a standout at washtub bass at local “kitchen tunks,” often organized by him to provide fellowship and highlight the talent of neighbors and friends.

Bill did not let the boundaries of family and work contain him. To the last, he was a fully present and integral part of the Williston community, the Bolton Valley staff team, the Butternut Road neighborhood family and the Residence at Shelburne Bay; a spreader of joy and connection wherever he was.

Fortunate to have had a caring team of professionals at Birchwood Terrace in the last weeks of his life, he directed the delivery of several Valentine’s flowers from his bed and made connections with staff in those short weeks close enough to garner tears upon his passing.

Bill joins his wife, Ruth, and beloved grandson Silas. He leaves behind a legion of friends and family to carry on his legacy of joy, compassion and service to others, including his children, Robyn, Bill, Nan and Todd, and their spouses; five grandchildren; his sister, Carol Young, brother Robert, and their spouses and children; and about a million daffodils he and Ruth spent years planting along Butternut Road, a perennial reminder of the hope and joy that is always there for the taking.

A celebration of Bill’s life will take place on April 27, 2024, 11 a.m., at the Williston Federated Church, 44 No. Williston Rd., Williston, VT.

A private ceremony will take place at the Williston East Cemetery, where he joins Ruth at their family bench overlooking the trees.

Donations in Bill’s honor can be made to the Youth Leadership or Post-High School Trade School/College Scholarship funds at the Williston-Richmond Rotary Charities, PO Box 114, Williston, VT 05495.

Arrangements are by Stephen C. Gregory and Son Cremation Service of South Burlington, Vt.