James Lowell Sneyd

James Lowell Sneyd passed away on Saturday evening, July 22, 2023 in his home in Douglasville, Georgia a few months after celebrating his 89th birthday. Jim was born on March 24, 1934 in Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin and was raised by Lowell and Harriott Sneyd from 1934 to 1953, at which time he moved to Madison, Wisconsin to pursue studies in Business Administration, receiving a Bachelor of Science in 1956. Jim met the love of his life in Madison, marrying Charlotte Rae Ballsrud on August 25, 1956. Following college, Jim fulfilled his selective service duty with the US Army and was posted in the Panama Canal Zone for two years, where he and Charlotte established lifelong friends.

Jim served as Personnel Manager at Kroger for 35 years following his service in the Army, and was the head of human resources in Dallas, Texas for most of his time with Kroger. After he retired, Jim and Charlotte moved to Douglasville, GA in 1999 to be near their daughter and her family. Jim’s passions included coaching women’s softball, playing golf, and being an eternal fan of the Dallas Cowboys!

The attributes that best defined Jim, however, were his persistence and determination, his clever wit and good humor, and his eternal optimism and positivity. He lived by and often expressed to his daughter his great-grandmother’s motto: “where there’s a will, there’s a way”. Jim once asked his granddaughter, Ali, if she knew what an optimist was, and then proceeded to tell her that it was “a brown cat laying on a brown floor exactly where everyone is walking!” Near the end of his life, Ali asked, “How do you stay so positive all of the time, Pop?” to which he replied that “maintaining a positive mental attitude is a habit that is practiced everyday, and it just gets easier with time.”

Jim is preceded in death by his wife, Charlotte, and son, Scott, and is survived by his daughter Deana Sneyd (Kath), son-in-law Randy Kath, and granddaughter Aliyah Kath; his nephews Gary and Gregg Sneyd and Jeffery and Thomas Coultas and their families; and his magnificent and deeply beloved friend, Mr. Taily Po.

Those who wish to express condolences or share a special memory may do so online at www.whitleygarner.com or by contacting Deana Sneyd: