William James Skipper

William James Skipper, “Skip”, of Ithaca, passed away on November 12, 2024, at the age of 70.  While Skip’s last years were burdened by a long and difficult battle with cancer, he ended his life peacefully at home with his wife of forty years, Amanda E. Zerilli by his side.

Born to Mary M. Skipper (née Gangloff) and William “Bill” J. Skipper of Lackawanna New York, Skip grew up in the suburbs of Buffalo. There, he made lifelong friends who visited him until the very end.  He obtained his undergraduate degree from Fordham University in 1976 and his PhD from Cornell University in 1990. As a longtime professor, who ended his career at SUNY Cortland, Skip was an educator by trade and used his classroom to teach students to have an appreciation for the world around them. He instilled a respect for education and learning in his only child, Anna Skipper Jewart (née Anna Zerilli Skipper) who holds fond memories of listening to lectures from underneath the podium in his classes when “home” sick from school.

Despite his years in education, Skip’s true passions were found outside the classroom. He was known for his tenderly cultivated garden blooming with flowers where neighbors, friends, and passersby could rely on an overabundance of vegetables being set out for the taking by the side of the road. He had both a passion and talent for music and the arts. He learned to play the piano later in life and spent many of his last months sending his daughter new music. He included photography and drawing as other hobbies, drawing inspiration from his garden. He cared deeply for literature and consumed classical fiction and histories equally. Skip was also a lifelong fan of the Buffalo Bills, an allegiance he passed on to his daughter. Having traveled from Buffalo as a child to watch the Pittsburgh Pirates with his own father, Skip greatly enjoyed visiting Pittsburgh to see his daughter and son-in-law, Brandon Jewart

Skip is survived by his loving wife, Amanda, daughter, Anna, son-in-law Brandon, as well as his sister Francis Riter, of Orchard Park New York.  He was predeceased by his mother, Mary, father, Bill, and sister Maureen Hanrahan. A celebration of life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, Skip’s family asks that memorial contributions be made to Hospicare of Ithaca, www.hospicare.org, whose diligent services provided Skip and Amanda much comfort in his final months.