Fern William Snook Obituary (1928 - 2021)

Fern William Snook passed away on Friday, December 31, 2021 at Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo, MI at the age of 93. He was born on April 15, 1928 in Belltown, PA to Daniel and Ruth Snook. Fern attended a one room school through 8th grade, graduated from Lewistown HS and enlisted in the Marine Corp at the age of 17. Stationed in Tsingtao, China during WWII, he was a member of the Marine fastpitch softball team. Returning home he met and married the love of his life, Doris M Rhodes, on July 8, 1948 in Bel Air, MD. They began their married life in a converted garage on his mother's property. During the winter of 1949 they moved with their infant son to Buchanan, MI where they joined family, residing there for the past 72 years. Mr. Snook was a hard worker and was employed by several construction related companies. He built both of his homes with the help of family and friends. He ended his career with Hass Wholesale, South Bend, IN at the age of 81 1/2, after many years of service. Fern is survived by his wife of 73 years, Doris M Snook; 4 children; Dan(Vickie)Snook, Oro Valley, AZ; Teresa Bailey, Middlebury, IN; Kenny(Lisa)Blackwell-Wieler, Morro Bay, CA; and Mark(Becky)Snook, Dowagiac, MI. He is also survived by 8 grandchildren; Autumn(Matt) O'Connor, Brandan(Erin)Snook, Aaron(Susan) Bailey, Heather(Cam)Baber, Jessica Blackwell, Sara Blackwell, Emily Hudson, Elijah(Monica Moreno)Snook and 17 great-grandchildren. Also surviving is his sister-in-law, Karen Snook; nieces and nephews; Marie Remington, Carla Johnson, Jim(Vickie)Jackson, David(Kaye)Snook, Bob(Beverly)Snook, Sandra(Richard)Dlugosz; and "son #4" Jack Mcclellan. He was preceded in death by his parents; step-father, John Romig; brother, Carl Snook and sister, Helen Jackson. He was best known for his love for his family and the game of baseball. He was an avid Yankees fan. If any of his children, grandchildren or great-grandchildren were in any athletic activity within driving distance you could count on seeing Fern and Doris on the sidelines. He often remarked on how "perfect" each of his family members were in his eyes. He lived a long, full life and will be missed and cherished. According to his wishes, cremation has taken place. A celebration of life will be held by the family from 3 - 5 pm on Sunday, August 7, 2022 at Buchanan Area Senior Center, 810 Rynearson St., Buchanan, MI 49107.