Daniel Cary Snook

Daniel Cary Snook
Daniel Cary Snook, 81, of Eugene, OR, passed away peacefully on January 17, at the Oregon Veterans Home in Lebanon, OR.
Dan was born on August 31, 1943 in Los Angeles, CA to a young woman from the Midwest. He was adopted shortly afterward by his mother Dottice and her first husband but was legally adopted later as a toddler by her second husband Oscar Snook. Oscar had a son, Robert, who was many years older than Dan and passed away when Dan was young.
Dottice and Oscar raised Dan in Eugene. He attended both North and South Eugene High Schools, graduating from NEHS in 1961. He lived in LA briefly after school, eventually returning to Eugene where he earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Oregon.
Dan met his first wife, Dalene, at UO in what he described as "bonehead math class" and they married in 1965. Feeling the need to serve his country during the Vietnam War, Dan enlisted into the Air Force after graduation and served one tour at Cam Ranh Air Force Base in South Vietnam. After the war, Dan returned to the University of Oregon, earning his master's degree. Dan and Dalene had one daughter, Kimberly, who was born during his tour of duty. They divorced in 1970 before she was a year old.
Dan spent the next several decades working in the hospitality industry in Portland and Eugene, eventually becoming a liquor broker for Hood River Distillers. Dan was a loyal employee of HRD for 29 years before he retired in 2010. He loved his job and his colleagues, several of whom remained dear friends until his death. His work required him to travel throughout the region and socialize for a living. He loved every minute of it.
After 20 years of bachelorhood, Dan met and married his wife Mary -- the unquestionable love of his life. They spent many years refurbishing their home, entertaining family and friends, and enjoying their clowder of cats (most of which were strays) and his trusty sidekick Hound Dog.
Those who knew Dan remember his boisterous and outgoing personality, his loyalty to his family and friends, his booming voice and laugh, his politically incorrect sense of humor and his unbridled passion for conservative politics. (He was particularly proud that Kimberly holds a high-level position in Washington Republican state politics.) Everyone also remembers Dan's total loyalty to and obsession with the Oregon Ducks.
No one who knew him will forget his iron will, his unrelenting stubbornness, and his often-total intransigence. He was a big personality.
Dan was preceded in death by his wife, who he lost to leukemia in 2016, his parents and his stepbrother.
He is survived by his daughter Kimberly Wirtz (Lacey, WA) and her four children; Drew (Sicily, Italy), boy/girl twins Paige (Bonney Lake, WA) and Grayson (Middleton, WI), and Kaden (currently at sea). He is also survived by grandchildren Patrick and Shanelle Erickson (Eugene, OR), and numerous other extended family and in-laws.
In addition to his immediate family, Dan was blessed by the unwavering care of his sister-in-law, Susan, and her husband, Terry, who remained a constant source of support. Both were critical to his quality of life and well-being after Mary's death.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday, February 10 at Musgrove West Lawn at 225 S Danebo Ave, Eugene, OR 97402. Reception/lunch after the service. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Green Hill Humane Society.