Dr. Penn Skillern

Jul 26, 1920 - Oct 31, 2004

SHAKER HEIGHTS - Dr. Penn Skillern, 84, a retired endocrinologist with the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, died Sunday at the Renaissance Health Center in Olmsted Township. Skillern, whose special interest was thyroid diseases, joined the Clinic's Department of Endocrinology in 1951. He served as chairman of the department from 1978 to 1981. He held a variety of positions at the Clinic.

As director of patient education, he focused on making patients more aware of their illnesses to help them cope, said his wife, Nora. Dr. Francis Owens, a Cleveland Clinic gastroenterologist and Skillern friend, called him a super thyroid specialist. "He also organized the continuing medical education courses at the Clinic, where doctors from around the country came for his classes," Owens said. 

Six months after he retired in 1986, Skillern was asked by Clinic officials to return and help develop the Clinic's Access Center. Skillern examined patients, many of whom showed up at the Clinic without an appointment, and referred them to the appropriate departments. He worked with the Access Center for about five years, then continued as a consultant with the Department of Endocrinology for several years.

Skillern published dozens of articles in publications covering the field of endocrinology. He also lectured extensively. He was a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and a member of the Endocrine Society, the American Thyroid Association, the American Group Practice Association and the American Medical Association.

Skillern was a golfer, tennis player and a member of the Cleveland Skating Club. He was born in Philadelphia and raised in South Bend, Ind. He received his undergraduate degree at the University of Michigan and earned his medical degree at the Indiana University Medical School. Skillern's residency was at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. His training was interrupted by a two-year stint in the Army.

He and his wife had been married for 45 years. Also surviving are sons, Penn Jr. of Chicago and Ennis of Portland, Ore.; four grandchildren; one sister; and one brother.

A memorial service will be at 11:30 a.m. today at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 2747 Fairmount Blvd., Cleveland Heights.

Contributions may be made to:

- The Alzheimer's Association, 12200 Fairhill Blvd., Cleveland 44120.

-The Cleveland Clinic Research Fund, 9500 Euclid Ave., Cleveland 44195.

Arrangements are by the Brown-Forward Funeral Service of Shaker Heights

Sources: Ancestry.com and Newspapers.com

08/31/2025 EJS