Donn Allen Snyder ’51

Donn was born July 13, 1929, in Plainfield, N.J., to William and Ophelia Judson Snyder. A graduate of Plainfield High School, at Princeton he majored in chemical engineering, was secretary of Elm Club, and roomed with Jim Patrick and Jake Pentz. He graduated with honors and went on to earn an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1953.

In 1952 he and Mary Margaret Mooney were married. Donn worked for Goodyear Tire and Rubber, Cities Service Co., Columbia Carbon Co., and, after a brief hiatus in the real-estate business, for the Rahway Valley Sewerage Authority. The family lived in Westfield, N.J., for 35 years. Donn was elected mayor in 1972, served as deacon at First Baptist Church, and co-founded the Westfield Foundation.

Donn and Mary retired to the Outer Banks, N.C. Donn died May 8, 2018, at home in Kitty Hawk after battling Alzheimer’s for many years.

Donn was predeceased by Mary in 2013, and by his brother, LeRoy, an orchidist at Jasna Polana, in 1989. He is survived by his children, Margaret, David, and Allen; and their families.

Donations in his memory to the Outer Banks Family YMCA, 3000 S. Croatan Highway, Nags Head, NC 27959 would be most appreciated.