Marvin Albert Snyder

Marvin A. Snyder was born on August 16, 1952, in Great Falls, Montana, while his father was serving in the United States Air Force. As an Air Force brat, Marv spent his early years moving from place to place, learning how to adapt, make friends quickly, and find his footing wherever he landed. That early life on the move helped shape the steady, easygoing nature he carried with him into adulthood. On December 30, 2025, he passed away suddenly and unexpectedly at the home he shared with his wife in Waynesburg.

Marv grew up with sawdust on his hands and music in his soul. He graduated in 1970 from Westmoreland High School in Plattsburgh, New York, and went on to become a carpenter by trade. Throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania, there are homes that stand stronger and warmer because Marv helped build or remodel them. He took pride in honest work that was measured, steady, and done right the first time.

Though carpentry paid the bills, music fed his spirit. Marv was a musician at heart, happiest with a guitar nearby and a crowd within earshot. Alongside his cousin, Doug Morris, who was more like a brother than a cousin, he formed the Regular Joe Band. In the 1980s, they became the house band at Daddy Jim’s in Waynesburg, where Marv’s music filled the room night after night, carrying stories, laughter, and the unmistakable sound of someone doing what he loved.

Marv’s working years came to an unexpected end after a workplace accident in which a wall crushed his legs, forcing him into early retirement. Over the last several years, he gradually lost mobility, but never his spirit. He met each challenge with quiet resilience, humor, and the same steady heart that defined his life.

After a 20 year courtship, Marv married his soulmate, Lynne Snyder, on September 29, 2007. Their love was patient, deep, and sure, built not in a rush but over time, with trust and shared life experiences forming a bond that felt unshakeable.

Marv’s greatest pride was his family. He is survived by his wife, Lynne, and his children, Erik Snyder of Dillon, Colorado; Adam (Erin) Snyder of Charles Town, West Virginia; Casey Hart of Waynesburg; and Molly (Dylan) Lamp of Richeyville. He was a devoted grandfather to Norah Snyder and to Keira, Kalli, and Kohen Lamp, four grandchildren who brought him endless joy and whom he absolutely adored. Also surviving is his cousin and lifelong musical partner, Doug Morris, with whom he shared a deep, brotherly bond.

Marv was preceded in death by his parents, Albert and Ruth Snyder, and his mother in law, Pauline Lint.

Bob Dylan once sang, “May your heart always be joyful, may your song always be sung.” For Marv, that song was never just music. It lived in the way he loved his family, in his quiet strength, and in the joy he carried even as life became harder. His song continues now through those who knew him, the memories they hold close, and the music that will always bring him to mind.

True to the way he lived his life, quietly and without fuss, services are private at this time. A memorial gathering may be planned at a later date. Marv’s legacy lives on in the homes he built, the music he shared, and the family who will carry his stories forward, one memory at a time.