Richard Gordon Snyder

Richard Gordon Snyder December 8, 1932 – January 21, 2018 Snyder, Richard (“Dick”) Gordon, 85, beloved husband, father and friend passed away on Sunday, January 21, 2018 after a spirited 23-year battle with Parkinson’s Disease. Dick passed away peacefully with his daughter by his side. He is survived by his daughter Leslie Johnson (Christopher), son Bradley (Rosalie), grandson Hendrick (son of Bradley and Rosalie), and two sisters Joan Picone and Jean Stephens. Dick and his twin brother, George, were born on December 8, 1932 to Richard and Sophie Snyder in Paterson, New Jersey. Their two sisters Joan and Jean (also twins) were born 11 years later. The Snyder family was raised in Hawthorne, New Jersey, where growing up, Dick and George worked at the family service station and automobile repair shop. Dick was the first member of his family to attend college and earned his Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry from Rutgers University in 1954, graduating Phi Beta Kappa and at the top of his class. He served two years as 1st Lieutenant in the Air Force at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. Following the Air Force, Dick began a corporate career, working for the Kearfott Division of the Singer Company, which designed and produced guidance systems for aircraft and missiles. It was at Kearfott that Dick met his wife, Eileen June Valentine. They married in 1968 and moved to North Caldwell, New Jersey. The births of Leslie and Bradley completed their family. Dick’s appointments with the Singer Company moved the family to Munich, Germany, back to New Jersey, and then to Maryland in 1985, where Dick served as President of the Link Division, which designed and manufactured training simulators for nuclear power plants. In 1990, Dick accepted an offer to serve as President and Chief Executive Officer of Reflectone, a publicly traded company that designed and manufactured flight simulators for military aircraft. This brought the family to Tampa, Florida, and Dick lead Reflectone until his retirement in 1998. After retirement, Dick enjoyed traveling and relaxing at the family’s beach condo until Eileen’s passing in 2009. The family will receive family and friends from 4pm to 7pm on Friday, February 2nd at Blount & Curry Funeral Home on Bearss Avenue. A memorial service will take place at the Blount & Curry Carrollwood Chapel at 10am on Saturday, February 3rd. The family wishes to thank Mikail Ebanks and Charles Gain, who were Dick’s caregivers and friends during his last years. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the National Parkinson’s Foundation (www.Parkinson.org) or the Michael J. Fox Foundation (www.michaeljfox.org).