Genevieve P. Snow

Genevieve P. Snow went to be with Our Lord on Good Friday 2011, at the age of 70 years old, after suffering aneurysm with extensive brain damage. As a child, she survived four years of Japanese occupation, raids on her house, capture of her father (Corpsman, CPO John F. Ploke), starvation, emaciation, dysentery, witnessed the torture & execution of family and friends, burial of her great-grandmother on the roadside during death march, near execution of her grandfather (Don Atanasio T. Perez) as a suspected American spy (Secretary to 18 naval governors, Resistance Chief, appeals court justice, diplomat, and Acting U.S. Naval Governor of Guam. See: Presidential Medal of Freedom, 1945, Antonio Artero, son of Don Pascual Artero; Family cousins.). As a grand finale, her early years were punctuated with American battleship shelling during Liberation. Through it all, she was blessed with complete amnesia of childhood (with severe PTSDS and lifelong hypertension).
With her father returned from Zentsuji POW camp (which had the highest survival rate of all WW2 camps), Genevieve began song, dance, and hula for USO as a little Shirley Temple, which gave much happiness to a people rebuilding in the war's aftermath and to GI's missing their families back home. With her little brother, they became celebrities on early Guam TV.
Genevieve became Guam's Liberation Day Queen 1957, a graduate of Creighton University, an editor, assistant to the Governor of Guam, reporter for the Modesto Bee, and PR director for St. Luke's Hospital, WA. In 1965, she was Guam's first, woman, U.S. naval officer -- serving in personnel, public relations, NAS Glenview, NAS Alameda, and with The Blue Angels. Was honorably discharged at rank of Lieutenant to be a good mother while her husband was leading combat missions over Vietnam and flying recon into Soviet airspace with Strategic Air Command. There, Genevieve was active with military wives and returning POW's. She later spent 10 years with Kaiser Hospital before retiring to Lake County as a school teacher. Active to the end, Genevieve is remembered by all as a sweet lady who was always on the move, highly energetic, and filled with fun & laughs. She was a hula dancer and member of Lake County's Vietnam Veterans, VFW, MOAA, Clear Lake Performing Arts, and Parish of St. Mary Immaculate. She will be dearly missed by family and friends.
Funeral was at Holy Angels, Hayward, April 30, 2011, attended by a large gathering of family, Bay Area friends, and some from Lake County. Military Honors were performed by American Legion, 10th District. Family could not notify all of Genevieve's friends in Lake County. Therefore, additional services will be at the Parish of St. Mary Immaculate on Saturday, May 21, 2011. Rosary at 11 a.m., 11:30 Mass/ Memorial, 12:00 Reception/ Pot Luck-Social in the church hall. All are invited.
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