Rick Snyder

Rick A. Snyder, 48, entered into his heavenly rest May 24, 2016, after a valiant battle with a long term illness. His devotion to his family and his firm belief in God supported him in his struggle and inspired others.

Rick was born to Sally (DeMoss) and the late Frank Snyder, a homemaker, and a local farmer and businessman respectively, in Van Wert, Ohio, on August 31, 1967. He was raised in the Christian faith that would be his lifelong support from an early age. He graduated from Lincolnview High School in 1985 and began a farming career in Van Wert County. Rick began his love of farming at a young age, and he enjoyed participating in plowing competitions and coaching high school boys and girls basketball at Lincolnview Local Schools and Elida High School over the years.

Rick was blessed with a large and loving family. He married his high school sweetheart, Kimberly McClure on December 9, 1989, in Van Wert, Ohio. Rick helped raise his four children with patience, discipline, and humility. He took them to church faithfully and loved camping with his family at Crooked Lake in Angola, Indiana, each summer.

Rick was a man of great courage who battled a brain tumor for over fifteen years. He persevered through many physical difficulties, including a stroke in 2014. Despite these challenges, he continued to farm and provide for his family. A hero to his friends and family, he is dearly missed by his loved ones, who celebrate the fact that he is at home with his Creator.

Rick is survived by his wife, Kimberly; his daughters Elizabeth (Derek) Mayer of Lima, Ohio; Michaela, and Olivia Snyder; his son, Jack Snyder; his mother Sally Snyder; and his sisters, Beth (David) Evans, Amber(Greg) Rickard, and Leigh (Randy) Carey all of Van Wert, Ohio. He will also be missed by his twenty-one nieces and nephews and ten great nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his father, Frank Snyder, his paternal grandparents, Thomas and Ruth Snyder, and maternal grandparents, Darrell and Mable DeMoss.

Calling hours are Friday, May 27, from 2-4 and 6-8 PM at Alspach-Gearhart Funeral Home in Van Wert, Ohio and 1 hour prior to the memorial service at the church. A memorial service will be held at 10:30 AM, Saturday, May 28, with a luncheon to follow at the Grace Community Church, 4359 Allentown Road, Elida, Ohio. Pastor John Heyward will officiate the service. Prayers, condolences and memories are gladly accepted at www.alspachgearhart.com. In Lieu of flowers, charitable contributions can be given to the Snyder Family to defray the medical costs incurred.