Fred Snyder, Jr.
Virginia Beach – Maj. Fred Snyder, Jr., USMC, Ret., passed away on December 13, 2015. He was born to the late Fred and Gladys Adams Snyder on February 10, 1930 in Bridgeport, WV.
Ted graduated from BHS in 1947 and joined the USMC from high school. He was a recruiter in Huntington, WV where he became the youngest Staff Sgt. in the Marine Corps. He went to Officer Candidate School and became a 2nd Lt., from there he went to Pensacola NAS and became a Naval Aviator. He served in Vietnam and retired in 1967 after serving 20 years.
After retirement, he became a Corporate Pilot, flying for Smithfield Packing Co. From there he formed Air Snyder Enterprise in which he purchased his own plane and flew for the next 15 years. He was on the VA Board of Aviation under Gov. Robb for 4 years. He encouraged and gave young aspiring pilots advice and flying time to accumulate their hours.
He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Jeannette (Jan); four children, Leanne Snyder of NC, Wendy Erneston of GA, Jeff Snyder of Va Beach and Susan and Ken Viera of Va Beach; eight grandchildren, Andrew, Heather, Jochl, Lindsay Erneston, Adam and Chase Snyder, and Shane, Ian and Kendal Viera. He is also survived by his brother, Ronnie Snyder and sisters, Julia Kaye, Katy McClure, Becky Canterelli and Janie Snyder and was predeceased by his brother, Tommy.
He enjoyed skiing, golf and working in his yard. He was a whiz at repairing his plane cars and things around the house. He loved talking to folks and helping neighbors and family with whatever they needed.
Memorial Services will be held at a later date in January.