My grandmother was always a very strong and faithful woman who helped make me the person that I am today.
During her nine decades on earth, Eddie Myrtle Skinner showed time and time again that anything is possible with enough care, compassion and support.
Sick patients could heal and thrive. Underprivileged students could go to college, graduate and start careers. Young people could learn courtesy, respect and civic duty.
Skinner, a 1962 graduate of Milwaukee Area Technical College’s Practical Nursing program, helped countless people as a nurse, volunteer and community benefactor.
In 2004, she endowed a scholarship for Black nursing students at MATC in memory of her mother, Edie L. Somerville, also an MATC nursing graduate. Since then, the Edie L. Somerville & Eddie Myrtle Skinner Nursing Scholarship has helped dozens of students attain their dreams of attending and completing college.
Skinner passed away Friday, January 24, 2025, at her home in Milwaukee. She was 92.
“My grandmother was always a very strong and faithful woman who helped make me the person that I am today,” said Corliss Smith, Skinner’s granddaughter and human services director at Milwaukee Health Services Inc. since 2022.
“The oak tree has fallen,” Markus Watts, Skinner’s grandson and executive director of Racine Kenosha Vocational Ministry Inc., posted on LinkedIn when she died.
A memorial service for Skinner will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, February 22, 2025, at St. Mark African Methodist Episcopal Church, 1616 West Atkinson Avenue in Milwaukee. Visitation will be held from 10 to 11 a.m. at the church. There will be fellowship following the service in the lower-level hall of the church.
By speaking plainly and setting high standards, Skinner inspired, encouraged and directed people all at the same time, Watts said.
“I will never forget the time that I told my grandmother about a recent accomplishment. I told her step by step what I did to achieve the goal. After I was done telling her every detail, I said, ‘Grandma, do you believe what I am telling you?’” Watts said.
“She simply looked at me and said ‘Not only do I believe it, I expect it.’ My grandmother was no-nonsense and never tolerated laziness.”
Smith recalled how her grandmother got her and her siblings involved in numerous programs and activities to ensure that they were always learning and growing.
Smith played the violin in several music groups, attended pre-college programs, participated in sports and recreation at the Northside YMCA, and attended neighborhood meetings with Skinner. Many times a visit to McDonald’s followed the activities, Smith said.
“All of the many things that my grandmother did to ensure that I stayed involved have paid off time and time again.” Smith said.
Smith earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, has traveled to five countries, learned to speak Spanish, joined Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc., and is currently working on her master’s degree at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
“I do all of these things because of her and all the encouragement, prayers and support she has had for me throughout my life,” Smith said. “There is no other way to thank her than to contribute back to my community.”
Skinner was born in Chicago in 1932, the second oldest of nine children. Her family moved to Milwaukee two years later. She graduated from Milwaukee Public Schools’ Lincoln High School in 1950.
Her mother, Edie L. Somerville, was one of the first African Americans to graduate from MATC’s Practical Nursing program and Skinner followed in her footsteps. After earning her degree, Skinner joined the nursing staff at Clement J. Zablocki Veterans’ Administration Medical Center, where she worked for 25 years before retiring in 1995.
She started the scholarship in 2004 after her mother died. In October 2022, Skinner appeared at MATC Day, along with Monique Stewart Ejimbe, who received a Somerville-Skinner Scholarship in 2015.
“That scholarship helped me so very much,” Ejimbe recalled in 2022. “That helped me pay for food and keep a roof over our heads. It was just a lifesaver and I cannot thank the people who gave that to me enough. I honestly believe I wouldn’t be where I am today without it.”
Skinner never hesitated to help the community, Watts said. Aside from working as a nurse, she was a master gardener, served as a den mother and merit badge counselor for the Boy Scouts of America, and taught Sunday school at St. Mark.
In 2020, at the age of 84, she earned a bachelor’s degree in Biblical studies from Midwest Bible College. She battled diabetes, kidney failure and blindness, but she kept volunteering when she could.
“She refused to be idle,” Watts said. “She devoted her entire life to the education, health and enrichment of people in need. She was an unsung hero.”
Make a contribution to the Edie L. Somerville & Eddie Myrtle Skinner Nursing Scholarship fund
About the Somerville-Skinner Scholarship: The Edie L. Somerville & Eddie Myrtle Skinner Nursing Scholarship supports the education of African American nursing students at Milwaukee Area Technical College. This scholarship, named for two women who have exhibited a commitment to nursing and community involvement, strives to make a positive difference.
About MATC: As Wisconsin’s largest technical college and one of the most diverse two-year institutions in the Midwest, Milwaukee Area Technical College is a key driver of southeastern Wisconsin’s economy and has provided innovative education in the region since 1912. More than 30,000 students per year attend the college’s four campuses and community-based sites or learn online. MATC offers affordable and accessible education and training opportunities that empower and transform lives in the community. The college offers more than 180 academic programs — many that prepare students for jobs immediately upon completion and others that provide transfer options leading to bachelor’s degrees with more than 40 four-year colleges and universities. Overwhelmingly, MATC graduates build careers and businesses in southeastern Wisconsin. The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.