Russell G. Snyder (25 September 1937 - 14 November 2024)
The NCF remembers Russ Snyder, a long-time Foundation member (since 1998). Please see his obituary below.
Russell George Snyder, 87, of Odenton, MD, passed away on November 14, 2024. Russ was born September 25, 1937 in Philadelphia, PA, the son of Russell Charles Snyder and Ruth Alma Bachschmidt Snyder. Russ was the oldest of seven siblings – Robert, Raymond, Richard, Ruth, Dorothy (deceased), and Elizabeth.
Russ graduated from Hatfield High School in 1955 and then attended Lehigh University before serving in the U.S. Army. He had a lengthy career with the Department of Defense in which he taught many courses and received numerous accolades. He retired in 1994 with 29 years of service. He was a member of the Phoenix Society.
Russ was married to Jane Coffin (deceased) from 1966-1990. They were founding residents of the Four Seasons community in Gambrills. Russ coached soccer, baseball, and basketball for many years and took great pride in developing youth sports programs in the area as one of the initial coaches for GORC soccer. He was also seen timing at swim meets during the summer months.
Russ was married to Lexie McCourt (deceased) from 1991-2009. They enjoyed spending time hosting 4th of July picnics along with traveling to many parts of the world.
As a lifelong learner, Russ also found gratitude in donating to scholarship funds for children through the Ministry of Hope. He was always willing to take on new challenges. Even as his health declined, he was still hoping to visit countries that he had yet to visit in his lifetime.
Russ is survived by his children – Karen Lynn Hornick (Douglas), Russell Mark Snyder (Melanie), and Christopher John Snyder (Jackie) along with grandchildren Jordan Hornick, Kayla Snyder, Benjamin Snyder, and Nicholas Snyder. He is also survived by his three brothers (Robert, Raymond, and Richard) and two of his sisters (Ruth and Elizabeth) along with many nieces and nephews.
Russ greatly enjoyed time with family and friends. He was always engaged in either a game of chess, bridge, Mexican train, Scrabble, or Pinochle if not on the tennis court. He was fond of traveling to new places around the world. He loved vacations to Nantucket, Massachusetts with family as his children grew up. He walked the B&A Trail for many years with the Bagel Walkers. He was a member of Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church. He loved keeping up with sporting events and continued to enjoy two daily newspapers that he had delivered. He also enjoyed musical concerts and attended the Anne Arundel Community Concert events for decades. Sound of Music was a favorite of his that he still talked about in recent weeks finding inspiration in Climb Every Mountain. Over the past few weeks, he almost daily requested a chocolate milkshake as a treat.
