Jerry Snider Obituary

It is with a heavy heart that we bid farewell to a beacon of creativity and humor, my beloved father, Jerry Snider, affectionately known as "Duke".
Jerry was born on the 19th of March 1961, in Fairfield, IA, to Joseph Snider and Peggy "Putney" the youngest of 3 children. He was very proud of his Snider family history dating back to Revolutionary War. He was also very proud of his father who served in WW2 and later worked for the railroad, Jerry often spoke of watching his dad cross the Platte River during an ice jam to get trains moving again. With that Jerry lived in Iowa and Wyoming as a child before they settled in Valparaiso.
In Valparaiso Jerry attended Raymond Central Schools making numerous lifelong friends and winning best actor in drama, this is where he would get his nickname (that sometimes only name people knew him by) Duke. He graduated class of '79. Continuing to live in Valparaiso he worked numerous jobs through his teens and 20s. He spoke of them often, including an early job working in dental lab with real gold bars, helping his dad and brother paint houses, working road construction across Nebraska sometimes even from Falls City to Norfolk, for various companies. He also started plumbing and worked for a few companies, he talked about doing plumbing work at Bryan West hospital, Star City Shores, Menards, large apartments around Lincoln and UNL.
While living in Valparaiso he met Janet Roper who he married in 1990 and had 1 child Shawnee Snider. Together they lived on a farm where he proudly built numerous sheds some out of out of reclaimed barn wood that are still up, and raised chickens, ducks, pigs and cattle.
Few years later Jerry and Janet separated but stayed lifelong friends. He moved back to Valparaiso where he lived and continued to work various jobs. One job including boiler company which let him get a trip to Canada. He loved to travel going to the Blackhills,California, New Orleans, Oklahoma, New Mexico and last trip he flew out of El Paso Texas.
When he wasn't working, he enjoyed his music, attending numerous concerts throughout his life like Neil Young, Ted Nugent, ACDC, and Zztop to name just a few out of dozens. You'd often find him in Val listening to music in the garage or he would drive around visiting friends, socializing, making his famous Duke jokes. He was part of the Sons of the American Legion.
He also decided to become part of the Catholic Church, he attended classes, was baptized and joined the Knights of Columbus.
His last job was working at UNL school of nursing building where he enjoyed keeping the building in tip top shape for all the future nurses. After this job Jerry moved down to Auburn, NE with his daughter. He unfortunately had his right leg amputated due to artery disease and would use a wheelchair thereafter.
He then got a apartment in Auburn where he would meet good friends that he would visit often and socialize with that also helped him out, invited him to dinner and drove him around.
He loved to drive around with friends or his "EB" son-in-law Eric and do what he called truck farming (watching corn grow from the truck). He loved nothing more than his beloved grandkids Jerry and Alyssa who he told his jokes and stories too.
He would listen to music still now from the fifth floor instead of the garage. There on fifth floor is where Jerry passed September 10th, 2024.
Jerry is survived by his daughter Shawnee Snider and son-in-law Eric Yost, his grandson, Jerry Yost, granddaughter Alyssa Yost. Sister, Peggy Hageman, 6 nieces, and numerous great-nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Joseph and Peggy Snider, and his brother, Terry Snider.
A visitation for Jerry will take place on Saturday, September 14, 2024, at 9:00am CDT at Sts. Mary & Joseph, 637 Iver Street, Valparaiso, Nebraska, 68065. The funeral service will follow at the same venue at 11:00am CDT. As the words of Matthew 5:4 echo in our hearts, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted," we invite all who knew and loved Jerry to join us in celebrating his life.
To keep Jerry's memory alive, we encourage friends and loved ones to share their memories and upload photos on the memorial page. His legacy is not just in the life he lived but also in the lives he touched.