Clarence Dale Snyder - 1/15/24

We gather today, saddened at the death of Dale Snyder. We are left reeling at the loss of someone who seemed like he still had so much life left to live. But even as we grieve Dale’s loss today, we also want to remember his life. Yes, Dale Snyder died, but we must not allow that to cause us to lose sight of the fact that he also lived. So to that end, will you pray with me?

Our Heavenly Father, you know today that there are many people whose hearts are heavy with grief. We struggle to understand why things like this happen, and the suddenness of Dale’s passing makes the pain we feel that much more acute. Today we ask for your comfort, Lord. We ask that you would help us today to celebrate the life Dale lived, and that those memories might temper our grief today and in the days to come. Grant your comfort and strength we pray, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Never Not Remember You – Cooper Alan

Clarence Dale Snyder, 65, of Burnside, Illinois, passed away Monday, January 8, 2024, as a result of an accident near his home in Burnside.

Dale was born March 5, 1958, in La Harpe, Illinois, the son of Glenn and Dorothy (Bartlett) Snyder. He attended Nauvoo-Colusa High School, graduating in 1976. Later in his life he participated in the organization of their class reunions, where he enjoyed seeing and visiting with his classmates.

In 1976, Dale was united in marriage to Molly (Foster), with whom he shares three children: Jaime, Jeremy, and Jennifer. They later divorced. Dale had a very special companion of 30 years until her death, Henrietta Johnson. He was loved and admired by her family.

Dale was a skilled craftsman, a man with pride and integrity, he worked as a sheet metal worker for Local Union 91 for many years until he left the trade to become a proud business owner and operator of Pilot Grove Welding; where he was currently serving as president and co-owner.

Dale cared about his neighbors and community, he was a sitting board member of the Pilot Grove and McKay Cemeteries for over 20 years. He had a huge heart and would help anyone, never asking anything in return. Dale was never at rest, constantly working at Pilot Grove Welding, on the farm, cutting wood, or doing for others. Dale’s face was the brightest when he was around children, he loved children and they love him, he was an integral part of many children’s lives throughout the years.

Dale enjoyed farming from a young age; he would stop at every farm implement and auction lot to check out the equipment on his weekend outings, while on the way to the antique stores near and far; his passion was collecting toy tractors and historical memorabilia from local businesses and towns. He also enjoyed attending the annual Old Threshers where he was sure to find a treasure.

Dale was a devoted father, grandfather, friend, and mentor. Dale will leave a large gap in our lives; he will be sorely missed and will always hold a special place in our hearts. Dale was preceded in death by his parents and longtime companion: Henrietta “Retta” Johnson.

Survivors include his three children: Jaime (Danny) Hogan of Niota, IL, Jeremy Snyder of Burnside, IL, Jennifer (Scott) Roberts, of Carthage, IL, as well as several grandchildren and a great granddaughter; Henrietta’s children, Daniel (Ronda) Johnson of Burnside, IL, Eric (Brandi) Johnson of Carthage, IL, Julie (Brent) Lance of Wentzville, MO, Sherri (Tom) Main of Carthage, IL, as well as several grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Also surviving are his siblings: Beverly (Steven) Brunk Danville, IA, Barbara (Edward) Burford Warsaw, IL, Betty (Rene) Medina Denmark, IA, Becky (Larry) Flowers West Burlington, IA, Chester (Joyce) Snyder Colusa, IL, Billie (the late David) Mosher Ft. Madison, IA, Bonnie (Gene) Willdrick rural Dallas City, Brenda Womack Ft. Madison, IA, Bea (Alan) Huls Wataga, IL, and Glenn (Terry) Snyder Jr. Buffalo, MN, and many nieces and nephews.

Jonah Roberts – Psalm 23

Over the last several days I have had the pleasure of learning about the life of Dale Snyder. In talking with people about him, I’ve noticed some consistent themes.

He was ridiculously talented. Dale was one of those people who seemed to know how to build or fix just about anything, a jack of all trades. He was a sheet metal worker and welder by trade, so he could do just about anything with metal, and he didn’t shy away from crazy ideas his customers brought to him at the welding shop. He also was good with cars and other machinery, seeming to just have an intuitive understanding of how these things worked and thus how to fix them. He could also do amazing things with traditional construction materials. He built his mother’s home, Henrietta’s home, and many buildings in the area, not to mention a small-scale replica of a local farmer’s barn and a beautiful wooden rocking horse he built for his daughter for Christmas one year. To this day, she remembers it as one of the best gifts she ever received. When the storm came through and caused extensive damage to the house, Dale didn’t wait for a local contractor to become available, he began repairing his home on his own with the goal of having the inside ready in time for Christmas with the family there. In typical Dale fashion, he worked incredibly hard, and it was ready on time. He seemed to be able to do pretty much whatever he put his mind to.

Much of that came from growing up on the farm. Dale was one of 11 kids, which meant he learned from an early age how to fend for himself. Being on the farm, there was always plenty of opportunity to work and learn how to fix things. As such, Dale and his siblings all learned the value of hard work and how to take care of things for themselves. That was a trait he sought to instill in others as well. I’m told that Dale is the reason Jeremy knows how to take apart (and put back together!) an engine. Dale was happy to mentor people who were willing to learn. Travis said Dale taught him everything he knew and served as a wonderful mentor to him.

Dale had a bit of a stubborn streak as well (though I’m told that may run in the family…) This was not always necessarily a bad thing. If you told Dale he couldn’t do something, he was probably going to do it just to spite you. As a result, he developed proficiency at a staggering number of skills.

Everyone seemed to agree that Dale was a hard worker. He never seemed to shy away from something just because it was going to be hard work. As a result, he became successful as a sheet metal worker, and then as a welder. He left his mark on numerous projects around the area for many neighbors, farmers, and local businesses, as well as the St. Louis Galleria, which was one of the sheet metal jobs he did when he was still working in the trade. In addition to these things, Dale loved to farm. Many people in the area got their hay from Dale. His family said that he would always stock way too much hay, but it was just because he loved doing it.

I think part of the appeal of farming for Dale was that he got to use big machinery. He seemed happiest when operating a tractor, road grader, or some other big equipment. I’m told that many years ago, he loved working for the former road commissioner, “Mr. Slim”. He had great respect for Mr. Slim, but I think he also enjoyed the work because he frequently got to operate the maintainer.

Another common theme of Dale’s life was his integrity. Dale was a man of his word. People knew they could trust him to do what he said he would and to do it right. Every job he did, no matter how big or small, was important to him. He often told those he worked with that they could either “do it right or do it twice.” Travis said he can’t count how many times he heard that phrase over the years. There was much wisdom in Dale’s approach to work.

He was generous, caring, and compassionate in the way he dealt with others. He would do anything at the drop of a hat for anyone; it didn’t matter who you were. Dale seemed happy to give others whatever he could and didn’t think twice about it. He was willing to give people a second chance. He would often check on his neighbors, making sure they were ok and keeping their drives clear during the winter. No one told him he needed to do these things, he just saw a need and met it.

That is not to say that Dale was always a happy-go-lucky guy. When things weren’t going well, it wasn’t difficult to tell. Most of the family learned at an early age that if you heard tools being thrown, you might want to give Dale some space for a while.

Dale loved children and the feeling was mutual. He was a loving and caring grandfather. One of the grandkids shared that they remembered when Dale would take all the kids sledding on a car hood behind the Kubota. He would brave the cold for hours just to put a smile on their faces. I sense that might have been because in many ways, he was a big kid at heart himself! Dale dearly loved all children, and I am told that he was always looking for an excuse to spoil them—it was one of the ways he could show his love for them.

Dale was a devoted caregiver to his family. When his mother’s and Henrietta’s health declined, he cared for them diligently, ensuring they received the best possible care. He never complained and didn’t ask for anything in return. The nurses at the hospital were always happy to see Dale and often tried to recruit him to join their ranks!

Dale also loved to have fun. He was not an extravagant man by any means—he was down to earth and simple; he didn’t need the latest and the greatest. But, if he was somewhere (like Old Threshers) where they had old die-cast tractors, you could bet you’d see Dale nearby. While Dale was partial to Oliver tractors, if he saw something interesting and thought it was a good deal, he’d snap it up in a heartbeat, no matter what color it was.

He loved going to the hunting cabin with the guys. To Dale, the hunting wasn’t necessarily the draw, it was the camaraderie, and maybe more importantly, the food and drinks! Dale had a bit of a sweet tooth and no matter how big the meal was, he always made room for brownies or pumpkin pie. Simple pleasures like friends, family, and food were more than enough for him.

He had a bit of an ornery streak as well. When the kids were little, he loved to put them up on top of the fridge and then walk away, knowing they were stuck there until he decided to take pity on them and let them down. He was known to tickle the kids incessantly. He used to love wrapping Jaime up in a blanket…though in hindsight this may have contributed to her claustrophobia. As a child, he once chased his sister Brenda around with a mouse—which led to a broken window and maybe a bit of regret when his parents found out. This was ironic, since in his adult years, Dale was scared to death of mice, always exaggerating the size of the huge “rats” he would see.

Dale was a picture of vibrancy, vitality, and life in seemingly everything he did. He made a huge impact on nearly every person he met. His sudden passing leaves a void that many feel deeply. But even as we mourn, we should be comforted in the many “Dale stories” you can tell, knowing that he lived life to the fullest.

Brent Lance

One of Dale’s brothers-in-law, Alan, said that he used to think Dale was a complicated man, because he did lots of things and was always moving. But as time went on, he came to understand that Dale was actually quite simple—the things that mattered to him were his family and helping others. All the other stuff became secondary to those two things.

There is much wisdom in this approach to life. Most of us would look at our experiences with Dale Snyder and be grateful for them. We see him as a good, honest man who worked hard and kept his word. He cared for others without much regard for himself. As such, you may find yourself asking, why would something like this happen to someone like that? It just seems senseless and unfair.

As a pastor, I’m often asked questions like this. Why does God allow tragic circumstances like this to happen? The hard part of my job is that I don’t know the answers to those questions. God doesn’t explain everything He’s doing to me. What I do know is that God promises that He is working behind the scenes, even in the hard things. I do know that God offers us hope through Jesus that the end of this life is not the end of the story. Those who trust in Jesus for forgiveness and place their faith in Him have eternal life with Him, even after their earthly lives have ended.

Earlier, Jonah read from Psalm 23. This was a reflection of David about how God is with us in every circumstance—we never walk alone. One line of that psalm stands out to me as I think about Dale’s passing: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.”

As I think about the hope I can offer to you as you grieve the loss of a beloved family member and friend, this is what I know. God has promised that He is still working, even when we can’t see it, and that He has made it possible for us to live even though we die through Jesus.

My hope today is that as you reflect on the fragile nature of life, you will make time to think about eternity. The Lord makes it possible for us to face everything, even death, with confidence—if only we will seek Him.

One of the best ways I can think of to honor a person who has lived well is to look at their lives and draw some lessons that we can apply to our own lives. I believe it would bring Dale great joy to think that his example had helped to guide others to live their lives in a similar fashion. So with that, I’ve got some lessons we can learn from the life of Dale Snyder.

1. Hard work isn’t something to be afraid of. The only way you ever accomplish anything great is by working for it. Keep moving forward and you’ll be surprised at how far you can go.

2. You can either do things right or you can do them twice. Sometimes it takes a little longer to do things the right way, but taking shortcuts almost always costs you more time in the long run. Take the time to do things right, whether that’s in your job, in your family, or in life.

3. Look out for others without trying to keep score. Dale gave generously of his time, his skills, and his resources to care for the people around him. He wasn’t worried about whether they would (or could) do the same for him. He wasn’t motivated by what he could get out of people. He didn’t view relationships with others as transactions. He simply saw people in need and worked to meet those needs. We’d be wise to follow the same approach.

4. Even tiny little furry creatures can be scary. It’s ok for a grown man to jump when he sees something unexpected (like a mouse scurrying across the floor).

5. When you hear tools flying, maybe it’s best to give someone their space.

6. No matter how full you are, there’s always room for brownies, pumpkin pie, or peanut M&M’s.

7. Investing in family is never a waste of time or resources.

8. Don’t give up on people. You never know the difference a second chance can make in a person’s life.

9. We never know how much time we have left on this earth. So don’t allow the important things to pass without dealing with them. Let those you love know it. Do those important things you’ve been putting off. Deal with the questions of faith, realizing they’re not just theoretical. And make time for the things that most important because our time here is limited—so we should spend it on things that matter.

Seven Minutes in Heaven – Reba McEntire

Will you pray with me?

Our Heavenly Father, we thank you for the life of Dale Snyder. Thank you for the way he touched so many. Help us, Lord to learn from his life, so that we may live our own lives well. As we grieve what we have lost, please grant comfort to these friends and family. Remind us often of the many fond memories we have of Dale, and comfort us with the reality that through Jesus, death does not have to be the end of the story. Help us as we grieve, we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.