Howard(Sam) Joseph Snyder

Howard J. “Sam” Snyder Waterville, WA Howard “Sam” Snyder was born May 25, 1927, at Lakeside, WA, the 10th of 11 children to Joseph F. and Francis Snyder and passed away May 18, 2010 in Waterville, WA. He came to Waterville when he was 12 years old to live with his uncle Harry “Doc” Snyder and work on his ranch. Howard moved back to Chelan during his senior year in high school, where he met his future bride, Gertrude Talley. He graduated early from Chelan High School to join the Navy, and left the night of his graduation to go into active duty. He served aboard the USS Wiseman in the South Pacific Theater and received the Asiatic Pacific Area Campaign medal and the World War II Victory medal. On October 27, 1948, he married Gert in the Federated Church Parsonage in Waterville. They made their first home on Doc’s ranch, where their four boys were born. They moved into town in 1960 when the ranch was sold, and Sam went to work for Barnes’ Air Service. From there he was the groundskeeper at the NCW Fairgrounds, graduated from the WA State Patrol Academy and became the night patrolman for the Town of Waterville. In 1962, their daughter Barbara was born. In 1965 he went to work for the Douglas County Road Department and remained there until retirement in 1982. While employed with the road department, he not only plowed roads and sprayed weeds, but if the county needed an electrician, plumber, or carpenter, they called Sam. After retirement, he was caretaker of the cemetery in Waterville, worked part-time for his sons’ company installing office furniture on the coast, and was always ready to help a friend when they needed something fixed. Sam was a master craftsman who was known far and wide as a knife maker and gunsmith. He could fix anything from a child’s toy to a major appliance, could rebuild a Model A, or build a house from the ground up. After Gert’s retirement as Douglas County Assessor in 1990, they enjoyed traveling around North America. Sam was very involved in his community, serving on the Town Council, Cemetery, NCW Fair and Federated Church Boards. He was a member of the Waterville Federated Church and was proud to be a life member of the National Rifle Association. He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Gert of Waterville; sons Tom (Sandy) of Camano Island, Harry (Paula) of University Place , and Dale (Adele) of Waterville; grandchildren Jamie, Belinda, Brandon, Elizabeth, and Benjamin Howard Snyder; one sister, Susan Cannon of Chelan; one brother H.L. (John) Snyder of Chelan; many nieces and nephews; and his lifelong friend Bus Carroll. He was preceded in death by his parents, 8 brothers and sisters, son Dennis, daughter Barbara, and grandson Alex. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, May 22nd, at 11:00 a.m. at the Waterville Federated Church. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Sam’s name to the National Rifle Association, NCW Friends of the Fair, or the Waterville swimming pool fund.

Tributes

Howard(Sam) Joseph Snyder

May 25, 1927 - May 18, 2010