Mary Skinner Credit: Courtesy Mary Just Skinner, 79, unexpectedly passed away in her sleep from natural causes on January 9, 2026. She had been visiting her children and grandchildren in the Bay Area in California. Mary remained herself right up to the end and enjoyed spending time with her fami ly over the holidays, attending her grandchildren’s performances and helping with pickups after school. Mary was born in South Bend, Ind., and raised in Oak Park, Ill., just outside of Chicago. Her parents, Theodor Just and Mary McGarry Just, were both academics. Her father was the chief curator of the botany department at the Field Museum in Chicago, and her mother taught biology at Saint Mary’s College in Indiana and then geology at Rosary College (now Dominican University) in Illinois. Mary was the second of three daughters. After graduating from high school, Mary moved to New York City to attend Barnard College and Columbia Law School. At Columbia, Mary met and fell in love with fellow law student Scott Skinner. They married in New York City in 1970 and spent the next 48 years together, until Scott’s death in 2018. From New York, Mary and Scott first moved to Guilford, Vt., and then Montpelier before settling in Middlesex in 1977. Their two sons grew up there. Over the years, they raised various types of chickens and beef cattle (including Scottish Highlands and Belted Galloways) and even some pigs in their earliest years in Middlesex. After working at a legal aid organization in New York, Mary spent several years as an attorney at Vermont Legal Aid. As just the 47th woman sworn in as a lawyer in Vermont, Mary was part of a pioneering generation of women practicing law in the state. In the mid-1970s, Mary represented a pregnant U.S. Marine who had been wrongly discharged. They initially lost the case in federal district court but appealed to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. Mary and her cocounsel received advice and assistance on the case from Ruth Bader Ginsburg, then the director of the ACLU’s Women’s Rights Project. In Crawford v. Cushman, the Second Circuit held that a Marine Corps regulation that required the discharge of a woman for pregnancy was unconstitutional. Mary saw RBG years later after a speaking appearance, and she still remembered all the facts of the case! In 1974, Mary represented a group of low-income Vermonters in what was known as the “purchased power” case. They prevailed at the Vermont Supreme Court, which meant utilities could not automatically increase rates without the approval of the Public Service Board (now the Public Utility Commission). Mary opened her own private law practice in Montpelier in the late 1970s and focused primarily on family law, real estate and probate. In addition to her legal career, Mary was also a force in Vermont’s political world. She was elected to the Vermont State Senate in 1978 at the age of 32, becoming a role model for younger women interested in serving in the legislature. She represented Washington County in the Senate for 14 years and served as the chair of several key Senate committees, including the powerful Finance and Judiciary committees. Mary was a fierce advocate for legislation aimed at uplifting the state’s most vulnerable residents, protecting the environment, improving fairness in education finance and keeping costs down for all Vermonters. Mary later served on the Middlesex Select Board for 24 years. At the time of her death, Mary was a member of the Vermont Human Services Board, the Washington Electric Cooperative Board and the Central Vermont committee for UVM’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI). The emphasis that Mary and Scott both placed on working to serve the public interest in their careers influenced their sons to pursue their chosen professions of legal aid immigration attorney and public school teacher, respectively. Mary was a voracious reader and an active participant in her book group in central Vermont. She also loved the theater and attended many plays in New York and Vermont throughout her life. Mary maintained a lifelong interest in art and liked visiting art museums and collecting affordable art from lesser-known artists. She had a particular passion for folk art; the more colorful, the better. Being a skilled bargain hunter was a point of pride for Mary. She also loved to read the newspaper in hard copy form, particularly the New York Times and the Times Argus. An ideal fall Sunday for her would be relaxing with family, reading the newspaper and watching a Patriots game. Though she had not been particularly drawn to athletics as a child, Mary turned herself into what she termed a “middle-aged jock” as an adult in Vermont. She biked and hiked extensively in New England and beyond, and for many years she walked several miles each morning. Mary completed challenging treks in the Himalayas and proudly summited Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania at the age of 59. Mary was predeceased by her parents; her husband, Scott; and her sister Jane. She is survived by her sons, Justin and Wilson; her daughters-in-law, Bronwyn and Angela; and her grandchildren, Noah Grace, Cosmo Theodor and Bryn; as well as her nephew, Matthew, and her sister Anne. Known as “Ami” to her grandchildren, Mary was a loving and devoted grandparent who was very involved in their lives, starting with the arrival of Noah Grace 12 years ago. Over the course of her life in Illinois, New York and Vermont, Mary made many good friends. The night before she died, she enjoyed catching up with her high school friends via Zoom. She had upcoming plans to see friends whom she knew from New York and Vermont. Her loss was a shock to her family and friends, but Mary lived life to the fullest and maintained her independence, curiosity and vibrant personality throughout. There will be no funeral or calling hours, but there will be a celebration of Mary’s life on Saturday, June 20, 2026, 2 p.m., at the Old Labor Hall in Barre. Memorial contributions in lieu of flowers can be made to the Barre Historical Society or the Vermont ACLU. Condolence notes can be sent to the Skinner family at PO Box 412, Montpelier, VT 05601. Mary’s ashes will be interred in Middlesex at a small family gathering later this year. The post Obituary: Mary Just Skinner, 1946-2026 appeared first on Seven Days. ...read more read less