Robert Henry Skillen

Robert Henry Skillen, 67, of Mt Lebanon, went peacefully home to be with the Lord on February 4 after a valiant and hard fought 4-and-a-half-year battle with Head and Neck Cancer.

Visitation will be held from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Thursday February 7 at Slater Funeral Home 1650 Greentree Road Pittsburgh PA 15220. A service in Witness to the Resurrection, for the Glory of God and in memory of Bob Skillen will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday February 8 at Beverly Heights Presbyterian Church 1207 Washington Rd. Pittsburgh, PA 15228.

He was born in Pittsburgh March 8, 1951 to Raymond and Margaret Wentzel Skillen. He is survived by his wife Sally Robertson Skillen, his daughters Michelle Balfe (Michael) and Gail Groninger (Jay) as well as his grandchildren, Fiona Robertson Balfe, Catherine Frances Balfe, Gordon James Groninger and Sara Gleason Groninger. Other survivors include his brother Raymond Skillen (wife late Pat), sister Peggy Ann Skillen O'Brien (husband late Tom), and sister-in-law Carolyn Robertson Langdon (husband late Forrest). He was preceded in death by his nephew Robert O'Brien and is survived by nieces and nephews Ruth Ann O'Brien Chandler, Paul O'Brien, Sharon O'Brien Maynard, Will O'Brien, Laura Skillen, Kathy Skillen Jones, David Skillen, Brian Langdon, Scott Langdon and Andrew Langdon. He also had numerous great nieces and nephews.

The experiences in life that mattered most to Bob were those shared with family. He loved watching his grand-kids catch fire flies at sunset. He loved going on multi-generational family vacations to Canadohta Lake, PA with the O'Brien family. He loved teaching his nieces and nephews and later his grandchildren to make bread ball fish bait. He loved beach sojourns in Sandbridge. VA with the Robertson and Langdon families. He loved fishing with the extended family in the rolling waters off the shore of Virginia or in the tranquil waters of a Canadian lake. The big ones never got away from Bob.

And he loved the Lord Jesus Christ. One of his favorite weeks of the year was when Vacation Bible School was in session at Beverly Heights Presbyterian Church. Although he was a great help behind-the-scenes, he thrived on interacting with the children when he offered them snacks. He began serving on the Board of Deacons in 2016, serving as its Chairman in 2017 & 2018. His servant heart was fulfilled in his deaconate ministry. His fellow deacons and church family are his beloved brothers and sisters in Christ and cherished friends.

"Call the Bob squad" was a phrase heard frequently in the homes of his daughters to request help with everything from installing new technology to troubleshooting a malfunctioning plumbing system or a misbehaving appliance. Learned from his dad, Bob used his handyman skills to save the day and he was happy and eager to share his ability. He used an analytical approach to problem-solving since he was a little boy. When he was 6, he was stricken with rheumatic fever and confined to bed for 6 weeks. Since he could not exercise his body, he exercised his mind. Bored as only a 6-year-old could be, Bob designed a rope and pulley system tied to a shoe box in hopes of capturing a mouse that had ventured into the warm home for the winter. One day, as the little creature scampered into his room, Bob, tucked into bed, unleased the pulley and gently captured the mouse. And then let it go, only to repeat the challenge the next day.

Everyone becomes a hoops fan in March, and Bob was no exception. Putting his organizational skills to work, he devised the family's March Madness tradition of the "Luck of the Draw Pool" in which everyone (except his beloved collie Deuce) drew team names from a coffee cup. They had the drawing when daughters, sons-in-law and grand kids were gathered for his birthday celebration. Throughout the tournament Bob kept track of brackets and seeds and updated the standings on a spreadsheet. Of course, the basketball contests were not the most important part to Bob. The most important part to Bob was the bantering, laughter and fellowship he shared with his family while the pool was in progress. Baba, as the grand kids fondly call him, was never happier than when surrounded by family.

For someone whose retirement years were spent enthusiastically travelling the world from Paris to Peru and Singapore to Stockholm, it came as a surprise to some acquaintances that it took a great deal of persuasion to get him to take his first "long" trip. Sally convinced him to take a cruise to Alaska in 1991 and after that he was hooked on globe-trotting. The couple covered Europe, South America, Southeast Asia, China, Cuba and Mexico, to name just a few destinations. After a calm sailing around Cape Horn, Bob remarked with characteristic humor that he was almost disappointed with the tranquility of the seas because he had been prepared to lash himself to the mast. He was always ready with extra batteries, loose change or space in his backpack to share with his travelling companions. From time to time he was good-naturedly referred to as the pack burro. On many of the international excursions Sally and Bob were accompanied by her sister Carolyn, and Bob dubbed them "the three amigos."

Because his sister Peggy Ann and her family live just a short drive away in Columbus, he delighted in making road trips to visit the O'Brien clan. It was always a great time of family celebration when Uncle Bob was in Columbus! When the O'Brien family made treks to Pittsburgh, there were many relaxing times spent reminiscing about family times and trips to the old neighborhoods. From time to time, Bob and Peggy Ann and often times Sharon would hit the road to visit Raymond in South Carolina. These trips were never just about the destination. These off the beaten path journeys resulted in many memorable episodes. Cherished are the memories of the trip that Bob, Sally, Peggy Ann and her granddaughter, Sheryl, made to Alaska 2014 where they marveled at its majestic beauty. Bob, Sally, Sharon and Peggy Ann celebrated Peggy Ann's birthday last August with an "all things Pittsburgh" weekend highlighted by attending a Steeler game. Bob and Peggy Ann – Pittsburghers to the core!

While his US Passport was always at the ready, so was his National Parks passport. The first stamp recorded a visit to Kitty Hawk in 1993 and the final ones to the parks in Utah just this last September. To him, each park had a unique beauty and his hope was that every member of his family would share in his appreciation of the majesty of the land. He succeeded. In between the first and last visit, Bob and Sally shared treasured times with their family in the parks of Alaska in 2016 and the Badlands, Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons in July 2018. Bob saw to it that the kids and grand-kids obtained their own National Parks Passports. Now when they look at the stamps they are reminded of the adventures on the road with Baba.

On trips to Europe, Bob got a kick out of translating French conversations thanks to his courses at St Mary of the Mount High School on Mt. Washington, where he was in the class of 1969. He then went on to graduate from Penn State in 1973.

Having grown up on Mt Washington, he was introduced at an early age to Italian cuisine, and he never forgot the sumptuous meals prepared by his friends' mothers when he returned from cruising with his buddies in his Dad's convertible. Over the years, he and his life-long pals enjoyed lunches and Pirate baseball games where they reminisced about their youthful days.

When travelling he always scanned the menus for regional specialties and ordered them with gusto. He was not timid about sampling exotic cuisine whether it was lomo saltado in Peru, haggis in Scotland or just about anything else touted by the guidebooks, often the spicier the better. Bob himself was no stranger to the kitchen or to an outdoor grill. He loved producing masterpieces on his Green Egg and churning homemade ice cream to share with the kids and grand-kids on summer evenings before endless games of hide and seek in the waning light. With the Midwestern influence of her upbringing, Sally was sometimes mystified why Bob would prefer sausage to sirloin. Just more evidence that he was a true Pittsburgher, born and bred!

Sometimes at Christmas time Sally's relatives from Kansas City would descend upon the Skillen home for a warm, happy and joyous visit. He was an affable host to these relatives, whom he nicknamed the "KC crew." He could mix a Manhattan cocktail (a skill learned from his-father-in-law) or concoct a batch of her family's traditional Fish House punch for his guests.

When Bob began his 30-year career in Information Technology, he was something of a pioneer in the field. As the science advanced, so did Bob. He retired in 2009 as a Vice President of Mellon Bank/Bank of New York Mellon as Mainframe Operations Systems Support Unit Manager. Beginning in the mid-1980s, Bob and Sally and their co-workers formed long time friendships that made the very long hours of work possible and relaxing times enjoyable. The firm bond of friendship with his "work buddies" was one of Bob's greatest happiness,

For 22 years he and Sally commuted together on the T to downtown Pittsburgh where they worked on the same floor.

In short, Bob was a man of tenacity, courage, kindness, great intellect and humor. He will be greatly missed.

The family would like to give special thanks to the Head and Neck Cancer Survivorship Clinic at Eye and Ear Hospital in Pittsburgh and the Head and Neck Cancer Support Group in Bethel Park. Also, heartfelt thanks to the Family Hospice and Palliative Care in Mt. Lebanon where he and his family received compassionate care.

Friends received Thursday 4-8 William Slater II Funeral Svc. 1650 Greentree Road, Scott Twp. 15220. Memorial Service 11am Friday Beverly Heights Presbyterian Church, 1207 Washington Road, Mt. Lebanon, 15228.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to Beverly Heights Presbyterian Church, 1207 Washington R., Mt Lebanon, PA 15228.