Victoria Ann Skutle

Victoria Ann Skutle, 76, of Kennesaw, GA, passed away peacefully on Saturday, March 29, 2025 after years of dealing with dementia and cancer. Born in Terre Haute, IN to John Mitchell and Betty Fisher, they would later move to Benton, Kentucky, where she had some of her formative childhood years before making their way to Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. She attended high school in Cuyahoga Falls, followed by studying teaching at Kent State University. Several weeks before she was to graduate, members of the Ohio National Guard fired on protesters of the Vietnam war on campus, killing four students and wounding nine.

Vicki had left campus just prior to the event, sensing that something bad would happen if she stayed; the next time she set foot on campus would be for her graduation a month later.

Through a mutual friend, she met Mark Wyatt Skutle prior to his time in the U.S. Army, being deployed to Vietnam. One of the memories she would share most from their early courtship was when she was teaching, and she had each student in her class write letters to Mark overseas; when he responded to every one, she knew he was the one she wanted to be with, and they married on November 24, 1972.

 On August 3, 1977, they welcomed their son, Brian Mitchell, into the world, but due to a birth defect, they were unable to bring him home until November 17 of that year. This caused Vicki tremendous emotional strain, but she had the support system in place to know Brian would be taken care of. She would always be there for Brian over the years, including when, 30 years later, he would find himself back in the hospital- and near death- for respiratory issues.

One of Vicki’s most defining traits was her sense of the theatrical. During the 1980s, she would channel that into being a part of community theatre productions of works like Oklahoma! and The Sound of Music, among others, which also gave her an opportunity to sing. She had a beautiful singing voice, which she would later put to use as part of the choir at Ray Thomas Memorial Presbyterian Church in Marietta, Ga., after the family moved in 1988. In Georgia, she also attempted acting in the local film industry, and- in addition to some commercials- she was an extra in TV shows in episodes of “I’ll Fly Away” and “In the Heat of the Night” (where she was in a featured extra role) and movies like 1995’s other talking pig movie, “Gordy,” and Wes Craven’s “Scream 2.”

When Vicki wasn’t pursuing acting, she was teaching, mostly as a substitute, and later as a para pro working with special ed kids, which she loved to do until knee issues forced her to retire in 2012. She was always one who wanted to help people if they needed it, not just family.

Vicki grew up in the TV heyday of the ‘50s and ‘60s, and loved movies as diverse as “North by Northwest” and “The Inn of the Sixth Happiness” to Looney Tunes cartoons and “Young Frankenstein.” She would pass that love on to Brian, who took the ball and ran with it, turning to film criticism and podcasting, as well as his own musical inclinations, first as a trombonist, then as a composer. In 2018, shortly before she was diagnosed with dementia, the two had a conversation about her life and love of movies and TV that was released in 2023, and reflects that shared connection between mother and son.

Victoria is survived by her son, Brian (Meredith Glancy), her brother-in-law, Kenneth Skutle, and her sister-in-law, Sharon Wilcox (Seth), as well as several nieces, nephews and cousins. She was preceded in passing by husband Mark Wyatt Skutle (2013), mother Betty Fisher (1991), father John Mitchell (2000), father-in-law Leslie Skutle (1989), mother-in-law Lillian Skutle (1991), and sister-in-law Kathy Skutle (2017).

 A celebration of life will be held on April 19, 2025 at Georgia Funeral Care, 4671 S. Main Street, Acworth, Ga. 30101. Arrival will begin at 1pm with the service starting at 2pm.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to be made to the Alzheimer’s Association. You can listen to Brian and Vicki’s discussion at Sonic Cinema here.