Margret V. Skitarelic

Margret Vera Skitarelic, known as Maggie to her friends, was born in Cumberland, Maryland, near the border of West Virginia, on March 5, 1945. Her parents, both first generation Americans, had a strong work ethic, and made education a top priority for Maggie and her sister Kathryn.

School was primary, but Maggie spent as much time outdoors, learning from her observations of the lives of the wildlife. She would stay in the woods with her favorite dog until her mother rang the bell for dinner. Maggie’s summers were spent with her grandmother “Nonna” and all her cousins in the country, a few hours away from her family’s home. Maggie’s interest in science, particularly birds, animals, and plants continued into adulthood.

Upon graduation from high school, both Maggie and her sister went to West Virginia University, where Maggie majored in psychology. She was brilliant, earning her undergraduate degree, along with a Phi Beta Kappa, and then earning her Ph.D. in clinical psychology at West Virginia. As Dr. Skitarelic, Maggie held several professional positions, but when not serving others clinically, she pursued her passion for travel and adventure. Maggie was an avid hiker, and was often found exploring on her current home turf. Over the years, Maggie went on many hiking adventures with friends across the U.S. and in Europe. Her favorite European country was Italy, where her mother was born.

In addition to her professional life as a therapist and her side life as an explorer, Maggie spent a major portion of her life doing things to make others feel good. For the last 20 years of her mother’s life, Maggie took care of her. They shared the same house in Haverford, and more recently in Swarthmore. While Mama was in charge of the living spaces, Maggie took charge of the meals and entertainment. And she was quite the chef. Her specialties were many, most notably roasted meats and vegetables, freshly baked bread, pies, and biscotti—”little bites of heaven.” 

Maggie and Mama welcomed guests into their conversations. Maggie entertained others with her quick wit and intelligence. She also loved giving people gifts—whether they be hand knit socks or items she had found during her travels. But people were not all she cared for. Maggie had a particular soft spot for dogs and cats. Her houses were adorned with photos of her own and other people’s pets, and she regularly offered to take care of (i.e., spoil) these pets when their owners were away. Some of her friends thought she cared more about animals than humans!

Maggie was not well known by many, but the few who knew her knew how fortunate they were to have her as a friend. She was loyal and dedicated to those she cared about, and all of us in this circle miss Maggie terribly.