Frank V. Snyder

FRANK V. SNYDER

of Shelburne, VT, a long-time resident of Greenwich, CT, died of a heart attack on Monday, June 26th at his summer home on Martha's Vineyard. He was 83 years old. He was married to Jessie Pennoyer Snyder for 54 years.

Born in Great Neck, New York, he was the son of Edward P. Snyder and Alma Vreeland Snyder. He graduated from the Taft School in 1939 and from Harvard University in 1943, where he was an undefeated varsity oarsman.

During World War II, he served as an officer in the submarine service, stationed in New London, CT and in the Pacific.

After the war, he graduated from the University of Virginia Law School and worked at the New York law firm of Root, Ballentine. In 1951 he joined his father's business, Moore & Munger, marketing waxes, clays and petrochemicals. He was with the firm for thirty-three years, retiring as the chairman of the board in 1983.

Snyder was an avid sportsman. An accomplished sailor, he owned a series of yachts, many named Chasseur. He was a member of the New York Yacht Club, serving as commodore from 1988 - 1990, where he was instrumental in establishing Harbour Court, the Newport, RI home of the club. He was a member of the Storm Trysail Club, the Cruising Club of America, the Pequot Yacht Club, and the Lake Champlain Yacht Club.

With Jessie, family and friends, he sailed and raced throughout the Northeast, Europe and the Caribbean, including 25 Bermuda races. In 1991, he sailed from New York, through the Panama Canal, and across the Pacific to New Zealand.

His love of the sea continued throughout his life. He served as chairman of the board at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and was a member of the board of Mystic Seaport.

His other passion was skiing. He was one of the founders of the Stratton Mountain ski area, which opened in 1961, where he served as president and, subsequently, chairman. Through his vision, Stratton became one of the first family-oriented ski resorts in the industry. He was president of the National Ski Area Association for two years.

His interests included fishing, painting, singing, history and writing. He collected and annotated an anthology of sailing manuscripts that was published in 1964 as Life Under Sail. In recent years, he had been researching and writing an historical novel set during the Civil War. He was a long-standing member of the choir at the First Church of Round Hill, Greenwich, CT, where he also served on the board.

Frank is survived by his wife and four children: Dr. Michael Snyder of Greenwich, CT, Jonathan Snyder of Tisbury, MA, Jane Snyder of Asheville, NC, and Suzanne Snyder Johnson of Shelburne, VT; by six grandchildren: Eckert Snyder, Justin Snyder, Jessie Johnson, Alec Johnson, Caroline Johnson, and Katherine Snyder; and by one brother, Peter Snyder of Naples, FL. He was predeceased by a brother, E. Philip Snyder.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to: The Fund for Wake Robin, 200 Wake Robin Drive, Shelburne, VT 05482; The Taft School, Attn: Alumni Department, 110 Woodbury Road, Watertown, CT 06795; or The Stratton Foundation, P. O. Box 523, Stratton Mountain, VT 05155.

There will be a memorial service at 11 am on Saturday, August 19th at the New York Yacht Club - Harbour Court, Newport RI. Please see the New York Yacht Club website, www.nyyc.org for details. Burial will be private.