Dr. Arthur "Pete" Snyder

Dr. Arthur "Pete" Snyder, age 79, of Tuscaloosa, died Oct. 3, 2011, at Hospice of West Alabama. Memorial services will be 2 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 6, 2011, at First United Methodist Church with Dr. Ken Dunivant officiating and Heritage Chapel Funeral Home & Cremations, a Dignity Memorial Provider, directing. Visitation will be one hour prior to services at the church.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Jessie and Otto Snyder.

Survivors include his wife of 56 years, Fran Snyder; his daughter, Jennifer Snyder of San Francisco, Calif.; his sons, Scott Snyder (Allison) of Concord, N.H. and Steve Snyder (Susan) of Birmingham; his grandchildren, Hillary Phillips, Andrew, Phillip, and Nathaniel Snyder, and Lucinda Snyder; and his great-grandchildren, Matthew and Haley Mae Phillips.

Born in Atmore, Alabama, he graduated from Murphy High School in Mobile, the University of Alabama, and the University of Alabama Medical School. He completed a residency in general surgery at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He practiced surgery at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pennsylvania and in Ozark, Alabama, returning in 1986 to Tuscaloosa to establish a surgery practice and to teach surgery in the College of Community Health Sciences of the University of Alabama Medical School, where he served in the final years of his career as Chief of Surgery.

His passions included gardening, tennis, skiing, and golf. He especially enjoyed teaching about whatever topic he knew and telling stories, as long as he had a willing audience. He was very proud of his children and grandchildren and loved spending time with them. He was a member of First United Methodist Church.

Honorary pallbearers are members of Friendship Sunday School Class and members of North River Men's Club.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to Caring Days Adult Day Care Center.