| Notes |
- Family notes courtesy of Richard Manley Snethen
Richard Manley Snethen was born on 24 November 1920 in Bethlehem Pennsylvania. Richard Snethen although born in Bethlehem moved with his family to Nutley, New Jersey where he lived until graduating from Rutgers University in 1943. He was a product of Nutley Public Schools receiving his High School diploma in January 1939. An interesting event happened on his first day of school when his kindergarten teacher asked, "Where were you born?" when he answered "Bethlehem" the teacher sent him to the principal's office.
While attending Rutgers University College of Agriculture, Richard was a member of Alpha Kappa Pi fraternity becoming president in 1942. He earned his JV letter (freshman year) and Varsity letters (Sophomore, Junior and Senior years) in wrestling. It was at Rutgers that he and Betty King met. It was immediate love that eventually led to their marriage after both had graduated in 1943. Because of war-time constraints the couple was wed in Morris New York near the farm the Snethen Brothers were operating in New Lisbon, New York. It was here that their first daughter Pamela was born in 1944. Shortly after the birth of their daughter, Richard was inducted into the army. Betty stayed for a short time in a rented house in Morris; eventually moving home to live with her mother in Ridgewood, New Jersey.
Richard's army experience included basic training in Spartanburg, South Carolina; followed by Officers Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia; then as lieutenant first a platoon leader with an early promotion to company commander; from the Infantry to the Counterintelligence Corps first attending school at Fort Holabird, Maryland; then overseas to Japan and then the Philippines. His service ended in 1946. Before his service discharge actually occurred he joined the faculty of Woodstown High School in Woodstown, New Jersey. He taught there and at Bridgeton New Jersey until 1952 when the family moved to their farm in Humphery, New York. While in south Jersey Donna and Letty were born.
After finding out that the farm would not support the family which had now grown with the birth of Mary J. and Perry, Richard resumed teaching in 1957 at Springville, New York's Griffith Institute not as an Ag teacher but as a science and math teacher. After the second year only science with a major emphasis in biology was taught for next twenty-six years. As a long time member and eventually chairman of the negotiating committee a number of successful advances were made for teachers. In 1972 Richard became President of the Teachers Association. At this time Betty was the chairwoman of the negotiating team and both took great pride in averting a strike over a minor detail after the mediator, district and teachers had finalized a settlement.
Upon retirement Richard and Betty enjoyed their leisure with trips to Great Britain, visits to their children in Quincy, Massachusetts; Belgrade Lakes, Maine; Chicago, Illinois and Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 1993 still madly in love they celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary at a surprise party arranged by their five children (with four respective spouses). In 2003 the family all gathered at Old Forge, New York for a sixtieth wedding anniversary. This was the last celebration away from Springville as their sixty first was celebrated in Jennie B. nursing home. They also volunteered their services as deliverers of Meals on Wheels and Literacy Volunteers. Richard was appointed a trustee to the Concord Public Library in 1989 becoming President in 1991. He accepted five year reappointments in 1993 and 1998. During this tenure the new Hulbert Library building was built and the library services were brought to compliance or better than the State standards required. Vision problems required Richard to give up driving, in 2006 he moved to Amberleigh Retirement Community in Williamsville, New York.
____
Castigla Funeral Home
SNETHEN - Richard M. Of Springville, NY, age 100, a WWII Veteran, passed away August 24, 2021. He was predeceased by his wife, Mary E. Snethen, after 61 years of marriage.
Father of Pamela J. Bartkowski (Patricia Oxenholm), Donna L. Snethen, Letty A. Snethen (David McIntosh), Mary J. Snethen (Dick Hegarty) and Perry W. Snethen, II (Kirsten Milliken); grandfather of Anthony (Kimberly) Bartkowski, Mary Catherine (CSM Edgard) Gonzalez and Lea (Larry) Archer; great-grandfather of Abigail, Elizabeth and Mary.
Richard was a retired Teacher at Springville-Griffith Institute Central School District.
|
1920 - 2021 (100 years)
[1, 2, 4] 
