Anne Chaikowsky La Voie Skirmantas, resident of Shenandoah and founder and director of the Lithuanian Heritage Museum there, died Monday, March 16, at St. Luke’s Hospice in Bethlehem, PA.

Anne was the daughter of the late Leonard J. Chaikowsky and Eleanor Wasley, and sister of the late Leonard Chaikowsky II (Lenny). She was the widow of Wilfred La Voie, who passed away in 2013.

Survivors include her second husband, Peter D. Skirmantas; their beloved cat, Sir Edmund; her cousin Judy Brazinsky of Kearny, New Jersey; four stepchildren and multiple step-grandchildren; and dozens of friends across the country, particularly in Pennsylvania and Southern California.

She was a member of the Shenandoah Valley High School class of 1975 and was inducted into the Shenandoah Valley School District Wall of Fame in June 2025. She attended Syracuse University, where she earned her bachelor's degree in television and radio production, and later earned her master's in education counseling. She moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in theatrical production management and worked as a teacher at several schools in the Los Angeles area, including the LA County High School for the Arts.

Her talents took her in many directions, including the production of audio recordings for the blind and reading-impaired, production stage management, and the establishment of programs within the Los Angeles school system. She supervised summer youth, employment, and training programs and organized incentive programs for at-risk teenagers with community leaders and merchants.

An avid reader, she was a dedicated volunteer at the annual Los Angeles Times Festival of Books for 27 years, at which she served as stage and production manager for panels with multiple authors and Hollywood personalities. An active member of the Greater Shenandoah Area Historical Society, she served as that organization's “Hollywood connection” for a decade. In this role, she arranged for famed screenwriter Darryl Ponicsan, a Shenandoah native, to participate in the town’s sesquicentennial in 2016, then later assisted in establishing a room dedicated to Ponicsan in the Society's museum.

She wrote two books and gathered hundreds of photographs for the Arcadia Press' Images of America series: Shenandoah, which she wrote specifically for the town’s sesquicentennial, and Lithuanians of Schuylkill County. She also produced a special DVD about Shenandoah's St. George Church in an effort to save the church from the wrecking ball, and later co-authored St. George Church: A Photographic Remembrance following the razing of the church.

She was an avid supporter of the Schuylkill Area Community Foundation, through which she established several scholarship funds for Shenandoah Valley High School graduating seniors.

Anne loved all animals and was especially fond of labs and golden retrievers, becoming a pet mom to her pups, Larwin, Chatsworth, and Nikita. In her later years, much to her own surprise, she learned to appreciate and love cats, doting on Sir Edmund and Lady Hillary, two kittens who found their way into her and her husband Peter's home and hearts.

But her first love was travel, and she crossed the North American continent many times, by air and land, and visited numerous European countries, including five trips to Lithuania. While in Lithuania, she taught the English language at the American English School (AMES) in Vilnius.

Throughout her life, Anne had been active and energetic, so her sudden passing after a short illness came as a shock to her family, friends, and the community. A celebration of life memorial service will be held at a time and location to be announced soon.

While flowers are appreciated, Anne asked that friends consider making donations to one of the following organizations: the Schuylkill Area Community Foundation (SACF, 216 S. Centre Street, Pottsville, PA 17901), the Greater Shenandoah Area Historical Society (GSAHS, 201 S. Main Street, Shenandoah, PA 17976), or the Lithuanian Heritage Museum (318 E. Centre Street, Shenandoah, PA 17976).