William Langdon Skinner of West Tisbury, formerly of Muncie, Ind., died on Martha’s Vineyard on Dec. 18, 2019.

Bill was born in Oneida, N.Y., raised in Port Credit Ontario, Canada, and earned a civil engineering degree and all-American honors as a gymnast at the University of Michigan.

He and Julie, his wife of 57 years, moved to Muncie in 1964 where they made a lasting impact on the people and community surrounding them. Bill took his ethos for bettering community when he and Julie retired to West Tisbury in 2005.

His business career centered on strategy and business development, where he excelled through his ability to make everyone around him feel valued and heard. At Ontario Corporation, a family business manufacturing titanium blades for jet engines, he started in operations, then became vice president of sales, supporting much of the company’s growth in the United States. His time at Ontario included moving his family of five to the United Kingdom where he oversaw the retooling of a former flatware company, in order to meet the company’s continued growth.

Bill continued his career at Ball Corporation, where he ultimately joined the executive team of Alltrista, the spinoff of several businesses including the Ball-Mason jar division. He again ventured to Europe — this time Budapest, Hungary — to introduce the home canning business to Eastern Europe.

Wherever he went, he dedicated himself to the people in his community. In Muncie, he was a longtime member and senior warden of Grace Episcopal Church, served as president of the Ball State University Foundation board, chairman of the Delaware County Chamber of Commerce, president of the Rotary Club and a member of the United Way Board and the Ball Brothers’ Foundation. He helped to found and build Cardinal Greenway (one of the largest rails-to-trails systems in the US), Innovation Connector (a small business incubator), the Muncie Softball Complex; and the Muncie Tennis Club. In 2003 he was named by the Muncie STAR/PRESS as Muncie’s Person of the Year in recognition of his contributions.

After retiring to West Tisbury, he continued to give back, serving as a board member and chairman during the years-long effort to build the Martha’s Vineyard YMCA. He also brought his skills to various small business owners as a SCORE mentor, and served on the housing authority board established to steward affordable housing on the Island.

He also had fun — playing golf and tennis, immersing himself in photography, and along with Julie, hosting myriad gatherings and outings for friends and family. Driving 19 hours to a family reunion? Check. Skiing the world with his family? Yep. Whether bicycling the loop with grandchildren or creating games for the young ones, his family will celebrate his life, well beyond the sorrow of his death.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by three sons: Eric of Chicago, Ill., Mike of Philadelphia, Pa., and Craig Lexington, Ky.; five grandchildren; and a brother, Ted, of Indianapolis, Ind.

A memorial service will be held on July 25 on Martha’s Vineyard at the Federated Church of Edgartown.

Donations can be made to the Martha’s Vineyard YMCA, the Federated Church of Edgartown, the Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County, or Grace Episcopal Church, Muncie, Ind.