Margaret “Peggy” Robinson Skornia

July 26, 1937 - December 21, 2020

Margaret (Peggy) Robinson Skornia died December 21, 2020 after a brief illness in San Francisco.

Born in Coffeyville, Kansas, Peggy was the first daughter of Margaret and Frank Robinson. An asthmatic from childhood, Peggy, her sister Rita, and their mother became residents of Tucson in 1945 for its healing properties. Peggy was educated at Blenman School, Catalina Junior High and Tucson High. Peggy majored in journalism at Northwestern University, and began a lifelong affair with coastal Maine, working summers at a resort in Ogunquit. Peggy and Vern Hawkins met each other in the field of journalism, realized they had similar interests, and married in 1961. They moved to Walnut Creek, CA where they raised their daughter, Susan. Peggy attended dental hygiene school at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, became a licensed dental hygienist, practiced in Contra Costa County and in San Francisco for twentyfive years and served as president of the Contra Costa Dental Hygienists Association.

When Peggy moved to San Francisco, she blossomed and began her affair with the City by the Bay. Well read, cultured, interested in the arts, she developed friendships with a wide variety of San Franciscans. During this time, she met “the love of my life”, attorney Tom Skornia; they were married in 1999 in a ceremony officiated by Willie Brown. Besides traveling extensively together, they also shared their love of ballet, symphony, and theatre. The two were intense competitors in the game of Scrabble and Peggy, with her journalism background, was a superb player. They purchased a beautiful second home in the hills above Inverness and loved eating oysters in Stinson Beach and Marshall, kayaking in the bay, and walking amidst the rustic beauty of the Marin headlands. Peggy also loved Yosemite Valley and she and Tom summited Yosemite Falls, a steep 3000 feet of elevation: her “high fives” at the top indicated how proud she was of that endeavor. The Bracebridge Christmas holiday dinner at the Ahwahnee with Tom, her mother and friends was a Yosemite highlight for her. Sadly, she lost Tom in 2005. Since then Peggy continued to travel the world, visiting locales in Asia, Africa, South America, Europe and various South Sea Islands; developed into a connoisseur of San Francisco eateries; become a world-class bridge player; and actively participated in the Metropolitan Club’s bridge program. Peggy generously supported the performing and visual arts, including San Francisco Ballet, San Francisco Symphony, San Francisco Playhouse, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and her beloved Chanticleer, for whom she has endowed the Eric Alatorre Chair.

Peggy is survived by her sister, Rita Robinson, daughter, Susan Conti, and grandson Edward Conti.

Per her wishes, there will be no public memorial service.