Obituary: Ronald A. Snyder / Allegheny County firefighter who had a sense of humor
July 5, 1940 - March 31, 2007
Wednesday, April 04, 2007

By Torsten Ove, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette



He grew up a car-loving gearhead in Lawrenceville and spent nearly 30 years as a robust firefighter at Pittsburgh International Airport who dreamed of building a house one day with his own hands.

Ronald A. Snyder was the kind of guy who could do things.

On a bet, he once lifted an engine out of a car as an 18-year-old and walked around his block in Lawrenceville carrying it to prove his strength.

Even when he developed ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease, in 2005, he said he would defeat it.

"He was just so upbeat, so positive," said Gene Hillard, president of International Association of Firefighters Local 1038. "We went to his house and we laughed and joked. This is the kind of guy who inspires me, because I'm pretty much a pessimist."

But after a long battle, Mr. Snyder's condition steadily declined. He ultimately couldn't beat the disease and died Saturday. He was 66 and lived in Kennedy.

A former fuel specialist in the U.S. Air Force, Mr. Snyder spent his career as an Allegheny County firefighter at the airport, where he and his comrades responded to fuel spills, fires, medical problems.

He especially enjoyed working as an emergency medical technician and once helped rush a pregnant woman to the hospital just as the baby was crowning.

His best friend, John McMurray, 65, of Las Vegas, said Mr. Snyder was relieved not to handle the delivery himself. That was one of the few duties he hoped he wouldn't have to tackle.

"It was closer than he ever wanted it to be," said Mr. McMurray. "His worst nightmare was to have to deliver a baby."

The airport has 44 firefighters who stay busy on calls of all kinds.

"You'd be surprised," said his wife, Kathy, 53. "A lot of stuff doesn't make the news."

Many days were routine, but not Sept. 8, 1994, when USAir Flight 427 crashed in Beaver County. Mr. Snyder responded from home.

"He was there within a half hour," said Mrs. Snyder. "He spent a lot of time there. It really affected him."

Many firefighters retired after the crash and Mr. Snyder could have, too, but he stayed on out of a sense of obligation to his family and his enthusiasm for the job.

"He just really loved the camaraderie and the bond that firefighters have," said Mrs. Snyder. "It's just a special bond that nobody knows but firefighters."

Mr. Snyder was known as a conscientious firefighter. At an annual function last November in Lawrenceville, he was presented with the St. Florian service award for his dedication.

"He was a jokester but he took his job very seriously," said a former colleague, Jozef Lataster, 68, of Moon. "I always told him he was one of the good guys."

Colleagues and family members mostly remember his sense of fun.

His daughter, Alyssa, 27, of Kennedy, described him in a paid obituary as an "avid music lover, dental flosser, coffee drinker, bicyclist, gardener, do-it-yourselfer, mechanic, cook, camper, firefighter and classic car fan."

The dental flossing was kind of a compulsion. Mrs. Snyder said he was so particular about his teeth that he flossed as many as four times a day.

Healthy as he was, the ALS slowly robbed him of the use of his body.

As his condition worsened, Mr. McMurray persuaded Mrs. Snyder to bring him to Las Vegas last June to see some of the sights.

"We just partied the whole week," said Mr. McMurray. "I'm so glad that I was there to help."

Besides his wife and daughter, Mr. Snyder is survived by his mother, Dorothy, of Lawrenceville; son, Eric, of Westland, Mich.; brother, Edward, of Sebring, Fla., and sister, Gloria Wachter, of Penn Hills.

Visitation was Monday and yesterday at McDermott Funeral Home in Kennedy. A funeral service will be today at noon at Ken Mawr United Presbyterian Church, Kennedy.