BAR HARBOR – William “Bill” Hamilton Skiff, 78, died April 16, 2012, surrounded by his loving family at his home. He was born March 22, 1934, in Albany, N.Y., the only child of Dorothy Hamilton and James Skiff of Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
In high school, Bill enjoyed public speaking, playing the trombone and playing football. When he wasn’t at school, he helped his father out at the family-owned Esso gas station and could often be found watching the jockeys and horses at the Saratoga racetrack, a few blocks from his house. In 1952 Bill left Saratoga, N.Y., for Hanover, N.H., where he graduated from Dartmouth College, where he was a member of Chi Phi fraternity. He then joined the U.S. Navy where he served as an officer and retired as a lieutenant commander. In 1960 Bill settled in Massachusetts and started a family with his wife, Ann. Following a visit to Bar Harbor to see his friend John Reeves, Bill decided the island was a perfect place to raise his children. The Skiffs moved to Bar Harbor and Bill joined Lynam Insurance Co. and soon became a partner. Devoted to his community, Bill served as president of the Chamber of Commerce, president of the YMCA, and chairman of the board of trustees of Bar Harbor Congregational Church, UCC. He was a member of the National Association of Professional Insurance Agents, Bar Harbor Lodge No. 185 AF & AM of Bar Harbor, Anah Shrine and Mount Desert Island Lions Club. He was a senior member of the 40 Hayseeder Club. In 1973 Bill met Charlotte Sherman and was smitten. The two married within the year and began what their children describe as “an example of a loving and devoted marriage.” Their house was filled with love and laughter for 39 years. Bill was known for many things: riding a moped to work, enthusiastically supporting and following his children in sports and everything else they chose to do, family reunions on the Fourth, and his trademark wicked-dry sense of humor. He could always be found in the center of a room filled with laughter. Bill was a good man, a kind person, and a deeply loyal and devoted husband, father and friend. “He loved each of us unconditionally. He imparted wisdom without judgment and made us laugh constantly,” his children said.
Bill leaves his wife, Charlotte Skiff; and their children, Jennifer Skiff and Jon Sainken, James and Linda Skiff, Catherine (Skiff) and Sean Hood, William Hamilton Skiff Jr., Lisa Skiff and Peter Alley, and Sarah (Skiff) and Lucas Dunbar. He also leaves 18 grandchildren, Wren, Margaret, Gardner, Alice, William Hamilton Skiff III, Taylor, Nate, Jake, Parker, Riley, Mary, Bryce, Will, Brady, Lilly, Mallory, Phoebe and Cassidy. Bill joins his mother, father; grandson, Abraham; sister and brother-in-law, Mary and Sam McKnight; special cousin, Barbara McKissick; and many beloved pets.
A service of remembrance will be held 2 p.m. Thursday, April 26, at Bar Harbor Congregational Church, 29 Mount Desert St., Bar Harbor, with Bill’s friend, the Rev. Dr. Sandra Reed, officiating. Friends are invited to join the family afterward at McKay’s Public House. Those who wish may make gifts in Bill’s memory to Bar Harbor Congregational Church, UCC, 29 Mount Desert St., Bar Harbor, ME 04609 or Island Connections, 15 Eagle Lake Road, Bar Harbor, ME 04609. A service of Brookings-Smith, Bangor. Condolences to the family may be expressed at
www.BrookingsSmith.com.