Antoinette Mullinax Skeeters
Published 9:46 am Friday, October 26, 2012
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.—Antoinette Mullinax Skeeters passed away Monday, Oct. 22, 2012.
She was born in Decatur, Ga., to Perry Franklin and Christina Davies Mullinax.
As a child she lived in Atlanta, Montreal and Savannah. The family eventually settled in Richmond, where she graduated from St. Catherine’s School. She attended Brown University and RPI (a precursor to Virginia Commonwealth University), where she studied social work.
On Sept. 11, 1954, she married Philip Richard Skeeters, from Pasadena, Calif.
During his career with Western Electric, they lived in New Jersey and Istanbul, Turkey, prior to moving to Winston-Salem.
After a few years as a stay-at-home mother, she became interested in working with children with learning difficulties. She trained in what would become known as the Orton-Gillingham instruction method and was hired by Louise Futrell, the founder of The Summit School, to work intensively with students identified with dyslexia.
During these years, she co-founded the local chapter of the Learning Disabilities Association. She taught at Summit School for 25 years and upon retirement enjoyed attending concerts and operas, traveling, spoiling her dogs Toby and Bailey, and performing with the Winston-Salem Dulcimer Society.
In addition, she loved every member of her “Splashers” group at the YWCA and thoroughly embraced planning the group’s annual Christmas parties.
She is survived by her children and their families: son Gordon and his wife, Carey Skeeters, of Greensboro, N.C., their daughters Meredith Skeeters of New York City and Lilli Randall Skeeters of Winston-Salem; daughter Christina Skeeters and her husband, Gray Jolly, their son Philip Jolly of Winston-Salem; and son John and his wife, Lisa Skeeters, and their daughter Ryleigh Skeeters of Newsoms.
She is also survived by her brother, Dr. Perry Franklin Mullinax Jr. of Richmond; his children, Ivan Mullinax and Maria Kuscsik and their families; and a devoted cousin, Gertrude Hanes.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband in 1988 and her sister-in-law Grace Lane Mullinax in September 2012.
The family will receive friends at Salem Funeral Home in Winston-Salem on Sunday, Oct. 28, from 3 to 5 p.m.
Memorial donations may be made to Forsyth Humane Society, 61 Miller St., Winston-Salem, N.C., 27104; Summit School, 2100 Reynolda Road, Winston-Salem, N.C. 27106; or Piedmont Opera Theatre, 235 N. Cherry St., Winston-Salem, N.C., 27101.
Online condolences may be made through www.salemfh.com.