Ronald A. Snyder, of Kennedy, started every day with a pot of coffee and an enthusiasm for life that kept him young.
"He never looked his age," said Kathy Snyder, his wife of more than 29 years. "He looked 10 years younger than his age."

Mr. Snyder, a Lawrenceville native and retired firefighter, died Saturday, March 31, 2007, after a lengthy battle with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease). He was 66.

His interests included country and rock music, coffee, bicycling, gardening, do-it-yourself home projects, cooking, camping and classic cars. And dental flossing?





"My daughter put that in (his obituary notice)," Kathy Snyder said with a laugh. "He liked to take care of his teeth. That was one thing for sure."

Alyssa Snyder said her father was a "country boy at heart" despite his urban background. He never tired of watching the seasons change, she said.

Her father never let his wide-ranging interests take the place of his family, Alyssa Snyder said.

"He saved a lot of money, but he never used it for the things that he liked to do," she said.

Instead, the money put her and her brother, Eric, through college.

Mr. Snyder's two favorite places were Virginia Beach, where he and Kathy spent their honeymoon, and Disney World. They went to Disney World several times with the children and several times more on their own, his wife said.

Typically, they started each day as soon as the amusement park opened up and would stay until it closed. "He was like a kid at heart," she said.

Mr. Snyder worked as a machinist and spent four years in the Air Force before discovering his passion for firefighting. He served on the Allegheny County fire department at Pittsburgh International Airport until he retired in 2001.

Mr. Snyder took a week off before starting a job with Butler Auto Auction in Cranberry, where he worked for four years until his worsening condition from ALS forced him to take medical leave, his wife said.

He is survived by his wife, Kathy Strope Snyder, of Kennedy; daughter, Alyssa Snyder, of Kennedy; son, Eric Snyder, of Westland, Mich.; mother, Dorothy Dieter Snyder, of Lawrenceville; brother, Edward Snyder, of Sebring, Fla.; and sister, Gloria Watcher, of Penn Hills.

He was preceded in death by his father, Edward Snyder.

Visitation will be from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. today at McDermott Funeral Home, 334 Forest Grove Road, Kennedy.

A funeral service will be held at noon Wednesday at Ken Mawr United Presbyterian Church, Kennedy.