Francis Dale Snyder

Graveside Funeral Services will be at 10:30 AM on Saturday, October 30, 2021, at Nishnabotna Cemetery near Manilla.

Francis Dale Snyder, age 73, of Manilla, passed away Thursday, September 9th, 2021, as a result of a stroke at the Pinnacle Specialty Care Center in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Francis was born September 23rd, 1947 to Dale Snyder and Viola (Bargenquast) Snyder at the Foderberg Home in Manilla, Iowa. He was baptized into the Lutheran faith as a small child and remained a spiritual person throughout his life. He attended country school in rural Manilla and then elementary school in Irwin. Francis started school in Manilla when the family moved to a farm south of Vail. Francis graduated from Manilla High School in 1966. After graduation Francis spent a year in Kansas City, MO pursuing electrical studies.
Francis' interests eventually led him to employment in the home and road construction industries. He worked at Henningson Construction in Atlantic for several years before joining Western Engineering in Harlan. As Francis thoroughly enjoyed traveling and sightseeing, driving truck for Western Engineering gave him the opportunity to visit many different areas of the Midwest including Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. He frequently told stories entertaining family and friends of the people he met and the sites he'd seen along the way such as his chance encounter with Sam Walton in Kansas and the fascinating flea market in Tahlequah, OK where numerous bargains could be found on household items benefiting his parents.
Eventually Francis made the decision to leave the life on the road to move back to Manilla so he could help care for Dale and Vi. He bought a small acreage west of Manilla and made several improvements to the property before selling and moving to the family home in Manilla. He assisted his parents by driving them to appointments, making repairs to the home and providing needed care and companionship to both as they aged.
Francis was a skilled carpenter and made benches, bird feeders, piggy banks, picture frames and many other unique items to display in the house or give away as gifts. He loved to write letters and kept a journal for many years. He valued time spent visiting with neighbors, family and friends. He enjoyed watching the birds and squirrels from his back porch squabbling over the food he set out for them. A drive down a country road entertained him especially if it meant a sighting of a deer, hawk or other form of wildlife. Francis loved and cared for a number of cats over the years and at the time of his passing he had three cats; Sascha, Shylow and Froggy.
Left to cherish Francis' memory will be his sisters Karen Foster, Sioux Falls, SD and Gloria (Frank) Boeck, Manilla and brother Gail (Tami) Snyder, Waterloo, IA. He is also survived by nieces and nephews Sharon (Steve) Manning, Pam (Mel) James, John (Lisa) Huckins, Terri (John) Davis, Casey (Jill) Huckins, Glenn (Terri) Foster, Kent Foster, Jennifer Foster, Dara (Steve) Jorgensen, Shane (Kitty) Boeck, Brittany (Eric) Hanson and Hilary (Jeremiah) Pates. Francis was preceded in death by his parents and his sister Betty (Lorenzen Huckins) Polledo. ** The family plans on donating any memorials given in Francis' name to the Animal Rescue League of Harlan. **