Dr. Alfred and Sarah Skinner, longtime residents of Mercer Island, celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on Feb. 24. The couple was married on Feb. 24, 1951, in Hingham, Massachusetts, at Old Ship Church, and moved to Mercer Island in 1953. The couple met aboard a yacht, the Clambo. Dr. Skinner, who was a harbor pilot in the Philippines in World War II, had a summer job as the yacht’s captain, and Mrs. Skinner was a guest of the owners.
The couple celebrated their anniversary with family members. Their children are Peter Dieckerhoff, Bellevue; Jody Bower, Port Townsend, Wash.; Elizabeth Skinner, Marysville, Wash.; and Matthew Skinner, Snoqualmie. They lost a son, Thomas, in 1963. They have three grandchildren, Adam Dieckerhoff, Evan Day and Molly Skinner-Day; and three great-grandchildren, Jacob, Samuel and Henry Day.
Dr. Skinner, a pediatrician, founded Mercer Island Pediatrics and retired in 1989. Mrs. Skinner was employed as a travel agent.
The couple has been involved with the East Shore Unitarian Church and The Mountaineers. Both have been active skiers and backpackers.
Dr. Skinner served as school physician to Mercer Island schools for many years, and Mrs. Skinner volunteered with Eastside Youth Services and worked at the Mercer Island Thrift Store until recently. As a child, Mrs. Skinner lived for a while in France and was a member of the local Alliance Francais for many years. In the 1970s, they often had foreign students stay with them through the Experiment in International Living program. Mrs. Skinner was the co-chair of an effort to preserve open space on Mercer Island in the early 1970s.
They are avid travelers who have been to Europe many times, as well as Russia. Mrs. Skinner has also traveled in Africa and the Far East for her job as a travel agent.
Both are longtime supporters of the Seattle Gilbert & Sullivan Society, Seattle Opera and the UW Huskies football team.
Dr. Skinner still plays tennis three times a week and is a member of the “Wranglers,” a men’s debate group. Mrs. Skinner plays duplicate bridge and is still active in a book club that she helped found in the 1980s.