We are all deeply saddened by the passing of Dr. John Rudolph Snyder of League City, Texas.  Dr. Snyder passed away on Sunday, May 2, 2021 at the age of 78.

Dr. Snyder was born on December 31, 1942 in Canton, Illinois to Albertha Vanderschoor and John (Ivan) Snyder.  He was always proud to share that he was born close to midnight, so was the first baby born in the New Year 1943.

Dr. Snyder was founding faculty at the University of Houston-Clear Lake and taught for many years. He became a Full Professor at UHCL in 1992 after publishing his second book.  Dr. Snyder then went on to be VP of Presentation College and most recently was Dean of University College at Fairleigh Dickinson University.

He loved teaching above all because he loved to discuss, debate, and understand how others saw the world.  He was kind to his colleagues, many of whom remained lifelong friends.  Dr. Snyder taught English Literature, Philosophy, Film, and Technical Writing to undergraduates and graduates, to prisoners in Huntsville Penitentiary, to astronauts at Johnson Space Center and to nursing students on Sioux reservations.  He believed that everyone should engage in the great conversations about life.

Aside from his passion to teach and to inspire others, he was a reflective, thoughtful, and peaceful man who loved animals.  He never lost his fascination with the delights of childhood.  He would spend hours building model ships and fighter jets, and read fairy tales, especially The Brothers Grimm.  He loved to sit at his workbench in the garage, smoke cigarettes, and drink coffee while he read his students’ papers, which he enjoyed reading as much as he did the works of Sir Philip Sidney, Walt Whitman, and Mark Twain.  He knew every piece of classical music ever composed, yet hated jazz.  Those who met him learned more in passing than they could learn from reading the Encyclopedia A to Z.

Dr. Snyder is survived by his wife Becky Snyder; his sister Alida and her husband John Dinklage; his children Tom Snyder and his partner Scott Tyson; Elsa Wilmington, her husband Mike Wilmington and their children Nic and Sam; his stepchildren Amy Monroe and her partner John Paul Bujonich, April Sears and her son Noah Ryan-Sears, Owen Sears and his wife Jenette Walker Sears and their children Olivia and Annie.  He is preceded in death by his first wife Dr. Carol Lynne Snyder.

Dr. Snyder will be remembered at a Memorial Service on Sunday, May 16 from 2 to 5 pm at Ashton Villa (2328 Broadway Avenue J, Galveston, TX 77550).

If you would like to make a donation in lieu of flowers, please consider Heifer International (heifer.org).