Karin Elisabeth (Heyer) Snyder

Karin Elisabeth (Heyer) Snyder passed away peacefully at home on October 26, 2025, at the age of 85. She was born on October 19, 1940 in Braunschweig, Germany to the late Heinrich Willi Karl Albert and Elisabeth Johanne Marie (Paare) Heyer. Karin grew up in Germany during and after WWII. When she was a child, her family survived multiple bombings of their homes during the war which prompted their relocation to Helmstedt, Germany where she eventually met a U.S. Army serviceman stationed there assigned to intelligence services on the East/West border. They had a daughter and later moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana and lived with his family and attended St. Joe United Methodist church where her father-in-law was head Pastor. In Fort Wayne, Karin found a group of German friends who would follow and support her throughout her life. There were Kaffee Klatsches, picnics, parties and trips to Germany which built those everlasting bonds. Karin later remarried, had another daughter and lived in Syracuse across from Lake Wawasee. She and her husband managed a couple of restaurant establishments around the lake area preparing her for her next chapter in life. This started with a move back to Fort Wayne as a single parent working at the Summit Club, then as a Hotel Manager at the Holiday Inn downtown. Karin worked hard caring for the staff and hotel guests, entertaining entertainers who visited Fort Wayne to perform (i.e. David Lee Roth, Heart, Loverboy…etc) and loved to share those experiences with others. She also helped to reunite a former U.S. service member and father of a son which was a featured story on local news. During this time, she was an active member of the Fort Wayne German Heritage Society for many years and sang in the Damenchor (Ladies Choir). After leaving the hotel business, Karin was convinced to move to St. Louis and be closer to children and grandchildren. While in St. Louis, she established some new friends, helped care for her grandsons, beat breast cancer, and volunteered at the cancer center where she received her treatments. There she met a couple looking for eldercare for their 90 year old mother. For 3 years, Karin cared for Esther around the clock, treating her as if she was her own Mother who had passed away in Germany when Karin was in her early forties. During this time, Karin lost her grandson in a tragic accident, the family told her they were moving their mother to a nursing care facility and she became very homesick for her close friends back in Fort Wayne. So, she made her way back to the 3 rivers area and spent the rest of her years tending to her little garden, being with her friends, either in person and/or on the phone with never a short conversation! Karin loved to share her stories with others with some coffee and a treat and to learn what made them tick. She was elegant, funny and opinionated. She also loved animals, nature, music, art, and her family and friends and will forever be missed by many.

She is survived by her daughters, Christina (William) Mulvenna and Kirsten (Michael) Mazzanti; grandson, Nicholas McGowan; great-granddaughter, Reagan McGowan; and brother, Wolfgang Pagel. Karin is preceded in passing by her grandson, Marcus McGowan. A Celebration of Life service will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please choose to donate to the following organizations:

Humane Fort Wayne – Animal Shelter

Susan G. Komen for the Cure - Indiana

Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America

"He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering."

Mark 5:34 NIV