John Palmer Snow passed away on Friday, November 20, 2020, peacefully in his home surrounded by family, after a brief but valiant battle with an aggressive form of lung cancer. He was 76.
John was born on July 17, 1944, in Bethel, Alaska. He graduated from Franklin High School class of ’62 in Seattle Washington and went on to attend the University of Washington.
When John was a youngster growing up in Seattle, he was a guy that enjoyed practical jokes, was popular at school, and loved the outdoors. He was an entrepreneur, always looking for ways to make a couple of extra bucks. He was a natural athlete playing football, baseball, and basketball for his schools.
Later in life, as an adult he became more of a tough but fair kind of guy. The kind of guy that would tell you like it is, but there wouldn't be anything more to it than that. No strings attached. He could certainly be abrupt, but there's something appreciable about that. No BS and no judgement. He was the guy you went to for help and he gave it without question. He chose to show his love by acts of service rather than words.
He was easy to talk to and liked to tell stories about his travels or the interesting people he grew up with. He could tell you a story that took place in 1958 and make you feel like you were there, with him, reliving it all over again. He was the guy you sought out at a party when you wanted to sit and talk rather than participate in the hoopla. He wasn't loud and never the life of the party. He was someone that didn't need to fill silence with words. He could sit comfortably, in silence, with you. He was steady and calm. Knowledgeable and friendly. His humor snuck up on you; dry, witty, and sometimes a bit off color, occasionally shocking his listener.
He was smart too. Whenever us parents were stuck on one of our kid's math problems we called in the expert. He would always figure them out. He was never stumped and often followed up the solution with more facts to share about nearly any subject.
His passions were golf, gardening, travelling the world with his wife Connie, and tinkering around in his shop with wood, electronics or whatever else needed to be tinkered with. He really enjoyed creating things with wood, creations that often times ended up as Christmas presents for his family. They were beautiful hand-built toys that we cringed when our kids played with, because we thought they should be preserved, but that's not what he wanted. He made gorgeous wooden bowls that are now filled with memories in many of our homes and lovely bird houses for his wife so they could enjoy the many birds occupying their backyard. John had a passion for reading and devoured books! Those that he read and liked he would keep, building an immense library of fiction and nonfiction books. John was also passionate and proud of his family history. He spent many hours over his last years compiling and scanning pictures of many previous generations to preserve and pass on the legacy to generations that will follow.
John went by many names to those that knew and loved him: Honey, Dad, Grandpa, Papa, Mr. Snowman, John, Snowball, Mr. Snow. He will always be loved by those that knew him no matter what name they called him when they needed him.
The family would like to thank all those that were part of his care over the last few months of his life. The level of care and love from the members of his care team was nothing less than inspirational. It started with his oncologist, Dr. Clarke Low. He meant so much to our dad because of the level of his care as well as the compassion that he showed our dad. We were so impressed with all of the nurses and doctors on the 8th and 9th floors of the Intermountain Health Care hospital. They truly made a difference in his life. We would also like to thank Canyons Hospice and the caregivers of Right at Home for all that they did to make the last days of his life filled with as much comfort and dignity as possible.
John is survived by his wife, Connie Kwant-Snow, as well as his sister Judy Eades (George), brother Geoff Snow (Zulema), son John Snow (Laura), daughters Nadine Cushway (Marcus) and Jennifer Skinner, step-son John Kwant (Cindy), and step-daughters Lisa Nielsen-Murphy (Brian) and Amy Anderson (David) and thirteen grandchildren. He was predeceased by his father Eugene Snow (Dixie), mother Frances Snow, and sister, Sandra Penningroth (Jerry).
There will be a celebration of life in July around his birthday.
I feel so grateful to have known John Snow and heartbroken at his passing. I remember when my Aunt Connie dated and then married John. She was so taken with him, describing how he was so sharp, handsome, funny, and on and on. I was still single at the time, and she counseled me to hold out for the kind of love she felt for John, which she described as “toe-curling love.”
I got to take several international trips with John and Connie, and they were simply the best traveling companions—easy going, fun, interesting, and exceptional conversationalists. John’s impressive knowledge of history and the many books he’d read made him so fun to have around as we visited various historical sites in Europe. His knowledge and perspective added to the experience.
He was always a gentleman, always kind, and so loving. He had a quiet strength. It was easy to adopt him into the family because of the way that he treated us.
I am grateful to John for his loving kindness to me and my family, for the good memories, and especially for the way that he loved and cared for our dear Aunt Connie. John will be greatly missed.
Yesterday, I learned of John's passing. To Connie....my heart is broken for you. What you have gone through in this life is so unfair. To all of you, I am so very sorry for your loss. Happy memories will come with time, Until then, stay strong and try to enjoy the joys of happy moments you will always keep in your hearts. Much love,
Lyle
John & Connie have been great neighbors, we love them!
John was a very kind man. One experience that illustrates this kindness was his response to a request to use his drill-press for a few minutes on a project one of our sons and I were working on.
He took us out to his workshop in the garage and made sure everything was set up just like we needed. We took care of our little project while he shared fond memories of working on a project with his own son. When we finished, we asked him about some of the things he was working on.
If I remember right, he had an antique desk or similar furniture in progress. He showed us some of the unique original craftsmanship that went into it, discussing it with great respect for the original builder. He then went on to show us some of the toys he was making for the grandchildren.
It was a simple interchange, but even in that short time, his desire to use his skills to delight his family was expressed with a tenderness of heart that revealed a great depth of feeling for a family he dearly loved.
Our prayers are with your family!
Connie,
My dear friend and ex-roommate. My heart goes out to you. I understand the heaviness of the grief you're going through right now. Please know that I'm thinking of you.
Melinda
Judy,
I am so sorry to hear of your brother’s passing. May he Rest In Peace.
Thanks for sharing the memories of your Dad. I'm sure he is watching over all of you. You are in my heart, thoughts and prayers as you deal with the loss of your Dad. Love and hugs.