Dr. Thomas Russell Snyder, known to family and friends as Tom, passed away on November 11, 2026, at Berger Hospital. He was 82 and lived in Hallsville, Ohio. Tom was born on February 26, 1944, in Clinton County, Ohio, to the late Richard I. Snyder and the late Doris Nicely Snyder. Raised on a farm, he developed a lifelong appreciation for the land and for the value of hard work. After graduating from Adams High School, he enrolled at Wilmington College in 1962 before transferring to The Ohio State University in 1965, where he earned his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. While pursuing his education, he also completed a die-making apprenticeship with General Motors—a reflection of his interests in both hands-on work and learning.
Tom devoted much of his professional life to education and creating opportunities for others. Over a career spanning 50 years, he held administrative and instructional roles in secondary, adult, and higher education, and led technical, career, and business services across central and southern Ohio. His work included serving as Executive Director of Pickaway-Ross Career and Technology Center and, later, as Program Manager of the Ohio Cooperative Business Development Center at The Ohio State University, where he retired in 2015.
On June 10, 1984, Tom married Pamela Petzel Snyder. They shared 42 years of marriage and a life rooted in family. Away from work, Tom enjoyed farming, collecting antiques, and spending time in Hallsville with extended family and friends. His affection for these places and pastimes reflected how much he valued family and the ties that connect one generation to the next. He was also a member of the Chillicothe Kiwanis Club.
In his later years, Tom lived with primary progressive aphasia (PPA), a form of dementia. Tom had the non-fluent variant that gradually affects the brain’s ability to use language. It can make finding words and expressing thoughts increasingly difficult, although it did not diminish his ability to understand the world around him in the same way. For Tom, spoken conversation became harder over time. But his life was never defined by the words he could or could not say. His family will remember him for the love, experiences, and memories they shared long before, and throughout, his illness.
Tom is survived by his wife, Pamela; his sons, Craig (Robin) Snyder of Florida and Brad (Kristen) Snyder of Texas; and his daughters, Abigail (Colin Day) Snyder of New York and Hannah (Gregory) Smith of Ohio. He is also survived by nine grandchildren: Amanda (Jason) Coakley of Florida, Lillie Snyder of Texas, Luke Snyder of Texas, Madelyn (Riley) Maloney of Florida, Ruth (Madhu) Nagendla of Texas, Benjamin Snyder of Texas, Samuel Snyder of Texas, Charles Thomas (Tommy) Snyder-Day of New York, and Jane Lee Snyder-Day of New York; two great-grandchildren, Bryson and Beckett Coakley of Florida; and his sister, Lorna C. Villars of California.
Family and friends are invited to calling hours on Friday, November 20, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. and also on Saturday one hour prior to the funeral service at Circleville Community United Methodist Church. A funeral service will be held at the same church (120 N Pickaway St., Circleville, OH) on Saturday, November 21, at 11:00 a.m., followed by burial and a small ceremony at Hallsville Cemetery. Arrangements are under the direction of the WARE FUNERAL HOME, Chillicothe.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Circleville Community United Methodist Church 120 N. Pickaway Street Circleville, OH 43113, Ross County 4-H Endowment OSU Extension Office 475 Western Avenue Suite F Chillicothe, OH 45601, or the Ohio Farm Bureau Foundation 280 N. High Street Columbus, OH, 43215 or online at ofbf.org/donate.
You may sign his online register at warefh.com
Full service details and the family guest book are available at Ware Funeral Home.