Alexander Evans Snowdon

Alexander Snowdon of Charlottesville, VA passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, January 12, 2025, at the age of 33. He was deeply loved by his wife, Hayden Snowdon (née McCall), his parents, Catharine "Katie" and Richard "Dick" Snowdon, and so many others. Alexander was born on November 30, 1991, in Washington, D.C., and grew up in the District's Georgetown neighborhood. He was baptized and confirmed in the Episcopal Church and attended St. Albans School, where he was both an exceptional student and a stand-out cross country runner. During his childhood, Alexander developed what became a lifelong love for the outdoors, inspired most by hunting and fishing with his father, friends, and dogs at Seth Point, his parents' property on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Following high school, Alexander enrolled at Vanderbilt University, earning a degree in history and graduating with honors. As was the case throughout his entire life, Alexander balanced an impressive number of commitments at Vanderbilt, most notably competing for the varsity cross country team, joining the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, and pursuing a summer study program at the London School of Economics. After a brief post-graduate period working as a researcher at the Brookings Institution, Alexander attended The University of Virginia School of Law, where he focused on transaction law. Shortly after law school, Alexander met the love of his life, Hayden, who is also a UVA graduate. Their mutual tie to UVA and shared affinity for Charlottesville drew them to marry and establish their first permanent home there. Alexander had a successful start to his law career at Hogan Lovells, but decided to use his legal expertise and natural business acumen to pivot into real estate investing. He founded his own investment firm in January 2020; his work ranged from serving as an activist shareholder to more recently focusing on commercial real estate development projects. It was a surprise to no one who knew him that Alexander excelled in every endeavor he tackled. Alexander's accomplishments paint an important but incomplete story of the life he led. His family and friends will most frequently look back on the laughter and goofy behavior that he brought into so many occasions. Not one to take himself too seriously, Alexander encouraged others to see humor in the most random corners of life. He disliked pretense in all forms and infamously wore a bright orange, sleeveless "Panama City" t-shirt underneath his Vanderbilt commencement gown as a comedic counterpoint to the pomp and circumstance of the event. Beyond laughter, Alexander provided a constant source of advice and support to those closest to him. He was a loyal and gifted thought partner, and his judgment, candor, and selflessness invariably made him the first person to whom his friends turned in times of adversity or ambiguity. The rare combination of qualities that Alexander possessed – humor, wisdom, and empathy, among others – will be sorely missed but never forgotten. Alexander is survived by his wife Hayden, his parents Dick and Katie, his siblings Ashley Blanchard, Elizabeth Bonner, Andrew Snowdon, and their spouses, his aunts Meyra Green, Roberta Puschel, and Margot Snowdon, his uncle Ted Snowdon, his cousin Ariana Snowdon, his beloved in-laws, ten nieces and nephews who he adored, and his loyal Labrador Retriever, Birdie. A service in Alexander's honor will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, January 25, at Christ Episcopal Church in Charlottesville, VA. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the St. Michaels (MD) Volunteer Fire Company via the donation link on their website https://www.stmichaelsfd.org/links.