Printed in the Feb. 22, 2008 Enterprise, Blair, Nebraska

Dorothy M. Snyder, 94

Washington County native Dorothy M. Snyder, 94, died Sunday, Feb. 17, 2008, in Mesa, Ariz. A graveside service will be held at a later time with burial in the Blair Cemetery.

Dorothy Mae Kegler was born June 4, 1913, on a farm located 3 miles north of Blair to Fritz and Freda (Grossehme) Kegler. They lived very near the Cuming City School, a two-room country school where she and her siblings received their first 10 years of schooling. She rode into Blair each morning with two neighborhood boys to attend junior and senior high school classes at Blair High School. She was a very good student and enjoyed being the artist for the student yearbook.

In addition, she played the trumpet in the high school band and took music lessons on the piano for several years from Gertrude Mead. As a child, a strong desire to be a teacher emerged. She graduated from high school at the age of 15 and spent her first summer working as a housekeeper for a family in Omaha. There she was responsible for the care of two small children and prepared all the meals for the family.

At age 16, she was hired to teach school at the Neff Country School where she lived with a family in the school district. She enjoyed 10 years as a successful teacher, spending the last two years as a teacher at the Wranch School near Omaha. As she taught school, she always spent two years in each school, and then moved to a larger school district. She always asked to teach kindergarten classes in the schools where she worked.

She started teaching Sunday School at the age of 12. She quickly became the church pianist in each church she attended, prepared the communion, and led the adult Bible study classes.

In 1937, she married Jess Snyder and moved to Fremont.

One of her lifelong dreams was to organize her own daycare center. For 37 years, she ran a licensed daycare and preschool in her home in Fremont. One of her proudest achievements was receiving a life membership in the PTA (Parent Teacher Association) for her work with children.

In her later years, she enjoyed traveling abroad to such countries as Germany, Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Hawaii. She and her sister, Ruth Kegler attended summer Elder hostels at colleges in Steamboat Springs, Colo. And Soccorro, N.M.

In 1986, she retired and sold her home in Fremont to move to Carefree, Ariz., where she lived for 10 years. In 1999, she moved to the Fellowship Square Retirement Center in Mesa, Ariz.

Mrs. Snyder will be remembered for her quiet Christian spirit while always trying to honor the Lord with her life.

She is survived by her two sons, Fred Snyder of Glendale, Ariz., and Richard Snyder of Columbus; two grandchildren; a great-granddaughter; her sister, retired Col. Ruth Kegler of Colorado Springs, Colo; and 12 nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by two brothers, Fredrick and George Kegler, and one sister, Jean Snyder.

Memorials are suggested to the Mission to the Navajos, Box AA, Flagstaff, Ariz., 86002.

~~~ Obituary courtesy of the Washington County Genealogical Society. Newspaper clippings on file in the Blair Public Library at Blair, Nebraska.~~~

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