Carol Greenberg Skillman had a magical ability to connect with children, filling their world with joy, curiosity, and a love of learning. Whether helping them learn to read, teaching them new songs while she played guitar, her four-decade career in early childhood education delighted and instilled a love of school in many children at The Farm School, Cherry Hill Nursery School, and for many decades at Maurice Hawk Elementary School in West Windsor, NJ.

Carol Skillman passed away on July 7, 2025.

Born on March 1, 1941 to parents Irving and Ruth Greenberg, Carol grew up in Union, NJ with her sister Laurie and her brother Robert. She went on to Mount Holyoke College, graduating in 1963 with a BA in Psychology, and then on to Harvard Graduate School of Education where she earned her M.Ed. She married Stephen Skillman on June 20, 1964; he was the love of her life and they enjoyed sixty-one years together. They moved to Princeton in 1970. They had two daughters, Becky and Jane. A dedicated parent, Carol spent many hours supporting her children’s activities, carpooling to Princeton Ballet Society for Becky and driving Jane to early morning swim practices at Peddie School in the dark.

Carol was an award-winning kindergarten teacher who genuinely loved teaching young children. She never underestimated their capacity for learning and wonder, doing things like dissecting a fish with her class, or doing a unit on world flags because a student was fascinated by them. She played both piano and guitar, and the classroom was filled with sing-a-longs. For Halloween, she dressed as The Tooth Fairy. She knew the right things to say to make children giggle and made a point of treating each child as an individual with unique interests and capacities. If you were one of Skillman’s Superstars at Maurice Hawk Elementary School in West Windsor, NJ, your first year was filled with stories, song, and discovery.

Carol and Steve’s marriage was filled with many happy years together included many memorable vacations at the Jersey shore and unforgettable trips to several national parks, Canada, Alaska, England, Italy, and Israel. They hosted family reunions at their home, sometimes featuring 6 foot hoagies from Hoagie Haven.

One of Carol’s favorite seasons of life was becoming a Nana! Her two grandchildren, Naomi and Zac, were the joys of her life and she loved nothing more than having a grandchild stay with her for a weekend. After her retirement, while her health permitted, she also enjoyed auditing classes at Princeton University and volunteering for organizations including Princeton Medical Center, Grandpals at Riverside School, McCarter Theatre, SAVE -A Friend to Homeless Animals, and Hospice.

Carol is survived by her husband Steve; her daughter Becky and husband Andy Carpenter; her daughter Jane and husband Marc Alexander; grandchildren Naomi Carpenter and Zac Alexander; sister Laurie Wright, brother Robert Greenberg, sister-in-law Barbara Mahoney, brother-in-law Richard Skillman, and their spouses; many nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews; and her Maltese dog, Albert Einstein.