Gail (Mitchell) Snyder

YORK – Gail (Mitchell) Snyder, 83, passed away on Sunday, November 27, 2022 surrounded by her family at UPMC Memorial Hospital. She was the loving wife and best friend of William D. Snyder.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held 11:30 AM Thursday, December 1, 2022 at Asbury United Methodist Church, 340 E. Market Street in York with Pastor Mark Terwilliger officiating.

Born January 26, 1939 in Waymart, Pennsylvania, she was the youngest daughter of the late Leon & Lila (Stone) Mitchell. She is also preceded in death by her four beloved older siblings and their spouses:  Merlin & Marie (Mitchell) Rutt, Donald & Mildred (Mitchell) Temperton, Everett & Harriet Mitchell, and Wayne & Janet (Mitchell) Tiel. Despite a 23-year age spread in the children, the Mitchells were very close and always strived to honor the dying wish of their mother to “keep the family together.” That legacy continues with Aunt Gail’s passing as cousins all over the country remain connected and committed to honoring their Mitchell heritage.

Gail and Bill met in the summer of 1957 when they were both working at Camp BapNepa in The Poconos. With Gail’s gregarious personality and infectious smile, it’s easy to imagine her being a camp counselor. Slightly harder to imagine is Bill, who was on a work detail building a pavilion before he entered the United States Air Force later that summer. Their romance was one of writing letters back and forth for three and a half years while Bill was in the service. They were married July 1, 1961 at the Honesdale Baptist Church in Wayne County, PA.

Setting up their first home in a third story walk up in Clarion, PA, Bill and Gail were promptly joined by their first child, Charles “Chuck” Snyder in April 1962. Three became four as their daughter Leigh was born in September 1965. The Snyder’s were then living in Pittsburgh where Bill and Gail served as youth leaders at Trinity Towers UMC, and Gail was the President of the Turner Elementary PTA.

A job transfer brought the family to York, PA over Thanksgiving weekend 1971. Throughout Pennsylvania it snowed 20” to 30” on Thanksgiving Day of that year. As Bill had already left for York ahead of the family, Gail drove the blue station wagon during the storm with Chuckie, age 9; Leigh Ellen, 6; the family wirehaired terrier Tuffy; Fraidy Cat; a styrofoam cooler with the fish; and a mouse Gail had just rescued “because he was shivering in the snow,” along with all of the houseplants and other items not put on the moving truck. For some reason, this treacherous journey never dissuaded Gail’s love of snow.

In York, with both children in school, Gail’s secretarial and business school training was able to blossom into an administrative career. She held positions with York Federal S&L, York International where she headed up the word processing unit in the early 1980s, Susquehanna Pfaltzgraff, among others. Her community service included being the first President of the York Lioness Club. She was active at Yorkshire UMC in many roles including singing in the church choir. Moving downtown in the 1990s, Gail and Bill transferred their church membership to Asbury UMC. In retirement, Gail faithfully volunteered in the Asbury office every Wednesday up until the week before her passing.

In addition to her husband, Mrs. Snyder is survived by a son, Chuck and his wife Connie Snyder; a daughter, Leigh (Snyder) Smith: and three grandchildren, Matney Ellen Smith, Mitchell Edward Smith, and Chace Davis Snyder.

In lieu of flowers memorial contributions that honor Gail’s passions may be made to Asbury Church or the York County SPCA.

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