Donald Snyder passed away on Sunday morning, July 16, at the age of 90.
Don, a Greenwich resident, was born on March 17, 1933, in the Bronx, New York where he grew up. He attended Queens College after which he embarked upon a lifelong career as a journalist, beginning as a copy editor at Newsday. Early in his career he worked as a stringer correspondent in Budapest and Vienna for the Mutual Broadcasting System and the New York Times and for the Toronto Star in West Germany.
In the year 1966-67 he was an Advanced International Reporting Fellow at Columbia University, specializing in East European and Soviet studies. From 1970 to 1973 he was based in Berlin as the East European bureau chief for the Mutual Broadcasting System. Throughout his life he maintained an interest in Eastern Europe, writing freelance articles in his retirement. His last article, which was on the future of democracy in Poland, was published in Greenwich Time on Friday, July 14, two days before his death. And on Saturday, the day before his death, he was sending links to the article to his many friends.
From 1975 until his retirement in 2001, he worked for NBC, first as a news producer for the NBC radio network and starting in 1983 on as a news producer for the NBC TODAY show. He was called back from retirement for several months in 2003.
In the two decades since his retirement, he has been a freelance contributor to various publications including the NBC website, the Forward, Hearst publications, and the National Catholic Reporter. He has also served as a mentor to aspiring young journalists and was an advisor on starting a school newspaper at the Young Women’s Leadership High School in New York City.
Don is survived by his wife, companion, and best friend for nearly forty-four years, Alma Rutgers, and Alma’s son and two grandchildren. Also surviving are Don’s daughter Lorelei Rain from New Hampshire and his three grandchildren, Ariel Couture, Zephyr Couture, and Logan Couture, all also from New Hampshire, as well as his first wife Marguerite Samoorian.
Don’s funeral was on Monday, July 17, at the Chabad of Greenwich synagogue, 38 Field Point Road, Greenwich.
Contributions in his memory may be made to Barbara’s House (formerly CCI) at 2 St. Roch Avenue, Greenwich, CT 06830.