Harry Alan Sneed

Harry Alan Sneed passed away on February 9th, 2025, at 84 years young. He was born on March 22, 1940, to Harry A. Sneed and Ina Marr Sneed in Heber Springs, Arkansas. As a young boy, he and his family moved to Joplin, Missouri, where Harry attended Louisa May Alcott Elementary School. Harry had a paper route growing up and also worked as a delivery man for Bunny Bread, later regaling his children with stories of his experiences. While he was in high school, Harry was Joplin’s Mayor for the Day and was Joplin’s Teenage Rodeo Champ. After high school, he attended Joplin Junior College before graduating in 1968 from the University of Arkansas where he was a Business major and played tennis for the Razorbacks. He was also an excellent bowler. Throughout his service in the Navy, Harry traveled to Germany and was stationed in Hawaii, Hong Kong, and Japan. He served in the Vietnam War and retired as a Commander after serving official duty for roughly twenty years in the Naval Reserve. He also worked for North American Van Lines in Washington D.C. before he was transferred to Atlanta and then Fort Wayne, Indiana, where he met his future wife, Freya. Harry was always a dedicated worker, balancing classes and nighttime jobs while attending law school. He studied at Emory University Law School and successfully passed the bar exam on his first try. In a memorable moment from his youth, Harry’s father paid a dollar each for them to watch a game featuring Mickey Mantle in the minor leagues, before Mantle became a major league star. Additionally, during a stint as an extra in a film, Harry had the opportunity to meet and interact with John Wayne on set, though his scene was ultimately cut from the final version of the movie. As someone who was always extremely active, he completed the Peachtree Road Race with a few of his children when he was in his mid-seventies. He also walked eleven miles a day when he worked for the census bureau roughly around the same time. He loved attending Braves baseball games and watching the Arkansas Razorbacks football and basketball teams on TV. In addition, he loved cheering on his adopted team, the Georgia Bulldogs, in all of their football games. As a devout Southern Baptist, Harry never said one bad word about anybody in all of his life. He also had the best handwriting; it was absolutely impeccable.

The consummate family man, Harry was married to Freya, and they were together for over 56 years. Together, they had seven children and were later blessed with six grandchildren and two sons-in-law. Always known for having a positive attitude and smile on his face, he instilled a can-do attitude in his children. He supported his children and grandchildren in all of their endeavors, eagerly attending and rooting them on at sporting events, dance recitals, orchestra concerts, art shows, and graduations. He never missed an important event in their lives and proudly cheered them on through all of it.

He is preceded in death by his mother Ina, father Harry, brother Jack, and son Toby. He is survived by his wife Freya (Funk) Sneed; his sons, Harry and John; daughters, Freya, Leslie, Kathleen, and Bonnylily, as well as his grandchildren, Ava, Samuel, Auggie, Aidan, Marlowe Ina, and Florence and sons-in-law, Max Silvestrov and Jeff Petka.

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