Newsman George Snyder dies at 68

George Snyder, a veteran newspaperman and dedicated conservationist who ended his prolific writing career chronicling the West County for the Sonoma West Times & News, died Thursday, Jan. 10.
Snyder, who turned 68 just last month, had been battling pancreatic cancer and succumbed to a heart attack at Palm Drive Hospital, with his family at his side.
“Telling people about George would be kind of pointless because I’m sure almost everybody around here already knew him. But like me, it took awhile to get to know all the different parts of George,” Sonoma West publisher Rollie Atkinson said. “At first, he might have looked and acted like some big ego guy in a big cowboy hat. That would be a totally wrong assumption — except for the hat. George was extremely confident in his craft, so much so, he made it look effortless. He would walk up to any person at any time and launch into a very deep conversation on whatever the topic was at hand. He could be your very favorite ‘bar buddy’ on the next stool, or he could be a visiting professor offering an expert’s lecture on the web of nature, Native American symbolism and spirituality or on Sonoma County’s natural history.”
He was fiercely devoted to the outdoors. His close relationship to nature, rooted in his Native American heritage, was reflected in how he considered walking unmarked paths, hunting in the hills and fishing in chilly waters as integral to his daily life.
“His writing connected thousands of newspaper readers to the natural beauty and biological treasures of this place,” Atkinson added. “In the newsroom we always gave George the ‘fin and fur’ assignments. We probably should have given him more of the ‘faith and philosophy’ assignments, too. It’s hard right now to imagine a West County without George walking around in it.”
Snyder served 10 years on the county Fish and Wildlife Commission and he contributed to the founding of the keystone environmental preservation efforts in the county, include the Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District, LandPaths and the Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation.
When the Board of Supervisors last year presented him with a resolution in honor of his work on behalf of open space, wildlife and the environment, Snyder delivered this quintessential introspective comment:
“A lot of people have made a lot of money in this county and some of it has been hard on nature. We’re all hard on nature. But many of us also have other riches that we find in working with Mother Earth and the natural world,” he said.
Former 5th District Supervisor Ernie Carpenter — who met Snyder in the late 1970s during his campaign for Supervisor — remembers him as a, “kind and concerned human being.”
“He was always there around environmental issues, particularly when it involved animals,” Carpenter said. “We hit it off well and I was impressed by the way he stuck to it. He was part of the fabric of the community.”
Snyder cut a distinctive figure in town, with his long stride, his trademark black cowboy hat and boots fit for work on the ranch.
“There were few worlds in which George was not a familiar face, whether it was among fishing and hunting friends, environmental and conservation communities, Native American cultures, on the street or on horseback,” said his longtime friend and retired journalist Bob Klose.
Snyder’s career in journalism spanned more than four decades, including 25 years at the San Francisco Chronicle, two years at the Modesto Bee, five years at the Sonoma West Times & News, as well as stints early in his life at a Toronto, Canada, news service, at the Sacramento Union newspaper and as a television producer for Bay Area stations.
As a writer and a raconteur, he was adept at bridging the gap between observer of human nature and participant in social change.
“His articles about people, places and nature captured the essence of the person, the history of the area, and the wonders of the natural world. George was a wonderful friend, family man, and member of the community and he will be missed,” said Lynn Hamilton, a close family friend and environmental activist.
The child of a true melting pot marriage that mixed the heritages of Scots-Irish, African American, Chinese, Cherokee and Choctaw, Snyder was born Dec. 6, 1944 in New Orleans. He grew up in Ypsilanti, MI, where he said he first gleaned his spiritual appreciation of nature.
He graduated from Michigan State University in East Lansing, and worked in Canada and in Sacramento before moving to the Bay Area.
He settled in Sonoma County in 1979, living in Occidental with his wife, Sara Peyton, who he met while both were working at the Chronicle.
He is also survived by his three sons, Jesse Snyder of New York, Samuel Snyder of Carlsbad, CA, and Tobias Snyder of San Francisco; daughter, Cree Welch Snyder Schmidt of Beder, Denmark and six grandchildren. His brothers, Edd Snyder and Andre Snyder live in Michigan.
The family said that although Snyder’s 18-month battle with pancreatic cancer was difficult, he much appreciated the sensitive treatment provided by his oncologist, Dr. Jarrod Holmes.
Memorial services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at the St. Philip the Apostle Church, Occidental, with a reception to follow at the Union Hotel, Occidental.
The family requests no flowers and suggests donations to the Sonoma County Regional Parks Foundation, 2300 County Center Drive, Suite 120A, Santa Rosa, CA 95403.
Reflecting on their memories of their father, his sons Samuel and Tobias said: “We take solace in the fact that our dad lived life on his own terms, even to the end. He taught us to love nature, to appreciate the people around us, and to seek out our own happiness in life. We know our father touched hundreds of lives throughout Sonoma County and beyond, and we are grateful to feel this love returned to us in the wake of his passing.”
Staff Writer David Abbott contributed to this report.