William Ross Snyder

William Ross Snyder, known to his friends and family as Bill, was born at Hospital of the Good Samaritan in Los Angeles, Calif., on September 20, 1943, to Virginia Kepner and William Elsworth Snyder. He was the second of three children. His elder sister, Lynne Snyder Abel (John), predeceased him, and his younger sister, Karen Snyder Lee, resides in Sherman Oaks, Calif., with her husband Rodney.

Bill was raised in Arcadia, Calif., and attended local schools until transferring to Oakwood Academy in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., where he graduated from high school in 1961. He completed his bachelor’s degree in history and business at Redlands University in 1965.

He was admitted to Naval Officers Candidate School in Newport, R.I. in November of 1965 and was commissioned an ensign in 1966 and assigned aboard the USS Cook. He later served as engineering officer aboard the USS Hull; both ships were destroyers.

He served four tours in Vietnam and was awarded the Navy Achievement Medal (with Combat V) and the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross among other citations. He was honorably discharged in 1974. During his service as a naval officer, he married and had two daughters, Camille Ann and Melanie Dawn.

After discharge from the Navy, Bill pursued an MBA at San Diego State while working in sales and marketing for Xerox Corporation. In 1981, he returned to work for the Navy as a civilian at NAS North Island where he was manager of writers editing Technical Military Manuals. He retired from Department of the Navy in 2002 after nearly 30 years of combined active duty and civilian service to the Navy.

In 1974, he met Sarah (Sally) Constant Delaney in San Diego, and they were married in 1976. When Bill adopted Sally’s children, they combined their families and brought together a large, happy group of seven children, aged 6-18. Bill loved their large family, and they regularly traveled and camped together in U.S. and Mexico,

Bill enjoyed many sports, and sports were an important part of family recreation. Bill excelled at football and wrestling in high school, college and the Navy. With his active family he skied, sailed, water skied, hiked, golfed, ran 10K and marathon races, bicycled, swam, surfed, and played volleyball and handball.

He coached Pop Warner Football for over 10 years, and particularly loved coaching the young Mitey Mites, whom he addressed as “gentlemen” on the ball field. He made the game fun, and the players loved him. After retirement, Bill continued to be active and rarely missed a day at the gym, seven days a week.

Bill and Sally began traveling the world before they retired and continued until recently. They made six trips to Africa, and several to Ireland, Portugal and Spain. They also traveled in the British Isles, Australia, New Zealand, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, the Galapagos Islands, Jamaica, as well as Canada and Mexico.

Bill was a man larger than life. His smile was infectious. Each day was an adventure, and a meteor shower was a thing of beauty to him. He would often take Sally by the hand and walk her outside to stand and gaze at a new moon or sky full of stars, many of which he knew by name from his months at sea.

It was always “a fine Navy day” for Bill. Bill loved the Lord, his wife, his family and his fellow man. He was a patriot of the first order, grateful for the United States of America and proud to be an American and to have served his country as a naval officer. He welcomed all to our home, and unfailingly shared his generous, kind, warm-hearted spirit both here and abroad.

His deteriorating health never dampened his enthusiasm for life, for travel, for new experiences and for being in the company of those he loved. His earthly family mourns his passing, but one of his daughters, Camille Snyder Contreras, who predeceased him in 2014, is rejoicing to see him in Heaven.

Bill and Sally came to Fallbrook in 1991 and quickly felt at home. They loved the rural character of this village and have formed deep and lasting friendships that continue to tie them to Fallbrook. They are currently active members of Christ the King Lutheran Church in Fallbrook.

Bill leaves behind his loving wife and constant companion, Sally; his children, Kathleen Delaney Perrine of Sacramento, Calif.; David Jacob Snyder and wife, Jean, of Anchorage, Alaska; Jonathan Stuart Snyder of Vista, Calif.; Christopher Allen Snyder of Seattle, Wash.; Stephen Constant Snyder and wife Natalie of San Jose, Calif.; and Melanie Snyder Willen and husband Rodney of Heber Springs, Ark.

He also leaves 11 grandchildren: Sarah, Andrew and Jacob Snyder; Sydney and Weston Snyder; Cassandra and Cheyanna Contreras; and Elizabeth Willen Yielding, Michael Willen, Ben Willen and Christina Willen. In addition, he leaves two great-grandchildren: Haven Layce Downs, age 7, and Finnian Ezekiel Yielding, born August 11, 2016.

Memorial service at Christ the King Church at 10 a.m., Thursday, September 15, 2016, followed by military honors at Miramar National Cemetery at 2 p.m.