S!ERRETT, Dr. ;illiam Paul, PH.D.

It is with much sadness that the family of Dr. William (Bill) Skerrett, PH.D. announces his death on February 23, 2024, at the Halifax Infirmary in Nova Scotia. Bill was born January 21, 1940, in Hamilton, Ontario, the second son of the late Bill and Mary Skerrett. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Marina Wilkie Skerrett; sister, Sally Ashford (Michael), Bermuda; sister-in-law, Sue Skerrett, Dartmouth; daughters, Rhea Bright (Patrick),west Lahave, Roxanne Jeghers (Scott), Ormond Beach, and Paulette Skerrett, Cole Harbour; son, Dean Skerrett, West Lawrencetown; and grandchildren, Colin, Simon (Grace), Jacob, and Benjamin (Meg) Bright, and Jacqueline and Mitchell Dunn. He was preceded in death by his parents, Bill and Mary Skerrett, his brother, Graham Skerrett, and his grandson, Eric Bright. Bill was a great innovator. In high school, he created the Bill Skerrett Orchestra, which played at many dances in West Hamilton. During the summers, he worked as a farm hand on his grandfather’s farm in Tweed, Ontario, where he gained a love for farming and agriculture. He graduated from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture, where he was a member of the ATO fraternity. He received a Master of Science degree from the University of Toronto (Ontario Agricultural College). He was also a graduate of the Canadian Institute of Management (CIM) program, and taught CIM classes at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, for a number of years. Always on the look-out for more learning, Bill later completed a PH.D. degree in adult education at Dalhousie University, while also running his own business. Less well known is the fact that he was a crack competitive marksman on the rifle range, winning a Canadian competition for excellence! After university, Bill began a career as producer and commentator on CBC’S farm broadcasts in Toronto, later moving to Halifax to host both Country Calendar on CBC Television and Radio Noon on CBC Radio. His entrepreneurial spirit led him to start and run several businesses over the course of forty years, all involved in film production and communication. He logged over 400 film and video titles as producer and director, many of which found audiences around the world. Most of his works were selected by the Nova Scotia Archives to be on permanent display. His original company, Skerrett Communication, still exists, and is the first and oldest registered film production company in Nova Scotia. Bill was the founding president of the Nova Scotia Film Producers Association. He was also the founding director of the Atlantic Journalism Awards Corporation, and helped to steer that organization to become one of the top Journalism awards programs in Canada. For his contribution, he was inducted into the Atlantic Journalism Hall of Fame. On Bill’s request, there will be no funeral service or celebration of life. Burial will be a family-only event at Fort Point Cemetery in Lahave, NS. Memorial donations may be made to the QEII Foundation.