Meryl Elizabeth Snyder
March 5, 1991 ~ November 9, 2009
Resided in:
Asheville, NC
Asheville ~ Meryl Elizabeth Snyder, 18, of Asheville died suddenly on Monday, November 09, 2009 in Mission Hospital.
She was born March 5, 1991 in Denver, Co. and suffered a life long battle with RETT Syndrome.
She was the daughter of Thomas Snyder and the late Anne Flash Snyder. She was preceded in death by her maternal and paternal grandparents.
She attended the TC Roberson PEP program.
She is survived by her father and step mother, Vivien Snyder; seven siblings, Matt, Marc and his wife Ronda, Michael and wife Jessica, Megan and Mitch Snyder, Sam and Zac Fagan; nephews, Caleb and Owen.
A memorial service will be held 11:00 A.M. Thursday, November 12, 2009 at Arden Presbyterian Church with the Rev. Chris Yates officiating.
The family will receive friends from 6:00 - 8:00 P.M. Wednesday at Groce Funeral Home at Lake Julian on Long Shoals Road.
Heaven's Very Special Child
A meeting was held quite far from Earth.
It was time again for another birth.
Said the Angels to the Lord Above ~
"This special child will need much love.
Her Progress may be very slow
Accomplishment she may not show.
And she'll require extra care
From the folks she meets down there.
She may not run laugh or play
Her thoughts may seem quite far away
So many times she will be labeled
"different." "helpless" and "disabled".
So, let's be careful where she's sent.
We want her life to be content.
Please, Lord, find the parents who
Will do a special job for you.
They will not realize right away
The leading role they are asked to play.
But with this child sent from above
Comes stronger faith, and richer love.
And soon they'll know the privilege given
In caring for their gift from heaven.
Their precious charge, so meek and mild
Is heaven's very special child.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Special Olympics of Buncombe County or to The Make a Wish Foundation.
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Our thoughts and prayers are with Mike, Tom and the entire family. May God bless and comfort you.
Bob & Cathy
We shall miss Meryl greatly at PEP. She gave us so much of herself. Our thoughts and prayers are with you! God Bless!
It was a joy to have known Meryl. God be with you all. Debra and Nicole
It was such a joy to watch Meryl grow over the past years at PEP. She was a special part of our PEP family and we will miss her. My prayers are with you all.
I will miss Meryl so much. She was such a precious girl. She had the sweetest smile! It was such an honor to have known her. I am all the richer for it. She was a part of our PEP family and the void of her place at our ‘table’ will never be filled. It’s not good-bye, it’s see you later, Meryl. We love you!
To the whole Snyder family:
I remember when I first met you all when you moved to Asheville, your whole family will always hold a special place in my heart. I don’t have any words to offer other than Meryl touched many lives, and will always be remembered. My prayers are with your family.
Love, Susan
I can’t thank the Lord enough for bringing such a blessing in my life as Meryl. All the Smiles and Winks will never be forgotten. Gonna miss ya Meryl, now go on and use those Wings! May God comfort and bless the family as you are in my thought and prayers.
I can’t thank the Lord enough for bringing such a blessing in my life as Meryl. All the Smiles and Winks will never be forgotten. Gonna miss ya Meryl, now go on and use those Wings! May God comfort and bless the family as you are in my thought and prayers.
To Meryl’s Family-
Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful girl with us. She was such a joy. I pray that God brings you peace and comfort in this time of grief. Love to you all.
My thoughts and prayers are with your family. Meryl will be deeply missed. God Bless You Meryl and your entire family.
Jennifer Pinkney
Meryl was a blessing sent from above. I had a lot of fun with her just;being a part of her life at PEP. She is really going to be missed!! God be with her Family and her PEP Family.
I am not sure what anyone of us can do or say to make your grief any less.
You were blessed with such a beautiful daughter to love and a special purpose in life; a daughter who loved you back unconditionally.
Anyone of us who knows your family observed first hand the special loving care that was provided and the bond you shared.
You are in our hearts and prayers.
It was an honor to help in Meryls class and get the opportunity to know her. She has a very special place in my heart. My prayers are with you. And let me know if you need anything. Love you guys
To the Snyder Family,
Meryl touched everyones heart that she encountered.She is going to be greatly missed by many and mostly by her family.
I will mostly miss her smiling eyes and her funny laughs. She will always be with me when I ride FLASH, Remember, she was the one who picked him out for me. Apart of her will always be with me when I ride him. I will always cherish her in my heart. Thank you for sharing her in my life.
I will miss Meryl. God be with you at this time. Crystal Rhymes
I will miss Meryl. God be with you at this time. Crystal Rhymes
We just want you to know that our thoughts and prayers are with you. We know there are no ‘right’ words to say, we are so very sorry for your family. Please let us know if we can do anything at all.
Love, Jeff, Cricket, Jared and Parker.
Thank you so much for allowing us to be a part of Meryl’s life. She has always been such a joy to be around. She will be greatly missed. You are in our thoughts and prayers. Linda Ray
My thoughts and prayers are with you all! May you find peace in this time of sorrow. With love, Jenn Hall
Our thoughts and prayers are with your family during this time.
As a friend of Zack , We know Mary was very much loved by everone that knew her.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the family
Gerald & Becky Greene
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Mike and Family.
We express our sincere sympathy to
Mike, Jessica and the entire family.Having been around Mike only so little we still sensed the love he and all the family had for Meryl. We will be praying for you during this very difficult time. Keeping you in thought and prayers. Love you, Eddy and Jill
Our deepest sympathy to you and your family and hope it brings you comfort in knowing that others care. Meryl was truly a beautiful child.
Meryl had a great impact on anyone that she met and the light that she brought into any room was easy for any to see. Tom and Vivian, your family is truly unique and the manner in which you conduct yourselves and treat others is something special within itself. You could feel the love for Meryl all around your home, and I wanted to give my sincere condolences to your family for your loss, and also express the wonderful pleasure I have had working with Meryl and your family.
PEP has been blessed by having Meryl as a member of our ‘family’?. She was a beautiful girl in life, we can only imagine how much more beautiful she is in heaven. She has joined the cadre of angels before her where she will now be able to watch over those who have watched over her. I pray that God will provide comfort to you all, such a wonderful and loving family.
Meryl was a gift from God, and now she has returned back to Heaven. She blessed us with her presence and love in her time here on Earth. She has an amazing family who I know will miss her much. May God be with each and every one of you and know that Meryl is looking down from Heaven with a smile on her face. She will always be our ‘Princess’!!
Our prayers and thoughts are with you,remembering Meryl with giggles and smiles,she will always have a warm spot in our hearts.
To Meryl’s family,
We were sorry to hear of Meryl’s passing. We know she was loved by many people, and we will be praying for your family. We know how much Zack loved her.
I did not have the pleasure of meeting Meryl. I do believe that God gives special children to special people. Mitch, I am sure you were a wonderful big brother. Tripp Trevor and I offer our sincere sympathy. Please know that you and your family are in our hearts and prayers.
Robbie, Tripp and Trevor
I was lucky to be able to work with Meryl. she was one of the happiest people i ever met. When i would be having a hard day I would look over at her . She would be smiling at me making everything alright again. She was very special and very loved.
I had the honor of watching Meryl grow through TC’s PEP program. Meryl affected many people throughout her lifetime and she will never be forgotten. Her bright smile will be missed.
We never met Meryl but heard about her from our daughter Chris Snyder. Meryl was a special child just like Chris’ sister Tracy. We are very sorry for your loss.
Even though we never met Meryl we felt like we knew her through Mike. His love for her could be felt whenever he spoke of her. Our thoughts and prayers will be with the entire family during this difficult time.
Roger,Jane,and Lee
Each day was a special blessing as we carried Meryl on bus 149. We will miss her daily as we carry the other children.
She has her wings now and a perfect body. God is blessed to have such an angel in His presence.
I am very sorry for your lose and I know that you will miss her greatly. But she is perfect now and would not like to return. You were blessed to have her with you for a short time. You seemed to care for her greatly. Thank you for caring for her so.
To Mike, Tom and the entire Snyder family. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. May God bless and comfort each of you during this difficult time.
Don Cameron
Mike were sorry about meryl i’m sure she was a wonderful person.GOD BLESS you and your family.
love, william,kristie & mckenzie hudson
Where do I begin… what words can I say that will express the sadness we are feeling. We are so appreciative for the almost 10 years we were able to be a part of Meryl’s life; first as her one on one worker, then as her teacher, and finally as a close friend to Meryl and her family. The memories we hold for Meryl will stay with us forever and she will be greatly missed. Thank you Tom, Vivian, Matt, Mark, Mike, Megan, Mitch, Sam, and Zack for allowing us into your lives as we always felt welcomed and loved by all of you. Finally, thank you Meryl for being a light in my life for so many years. You will live on through me in many ways. You will allow me to teach Marley about overcoming obstacles. You will allow me to teach future teachers about the dangers of assuming inability in individuals with significant disabilities. Finally, you will allow me to continue to love unconditionally as you did with us. We love you so very much.
Much love, Pam and Mike and little Marley Mims
Our hearts go out to you and your family on this sad occasion.
We love you, Lori and Fred
I had the privilege to work with Meryl through Easter Seals UCP and greatly enjoyed getting to know her special spirit and her wonderful family. My thoughts and prayers are with your family at this time, Courtney Peterson
I was very sorry to hear about Merly from my mother Michelle– I loved spending time with her — I loved to make her laugh and we both loved Winnie the Pooh and she loved horses like I do — I’ll miss her
Dear Tom,Vivian,Zach & Family: Our hearts are so heavy. Words cannot express our feelings. Only our Lord can help us in these storms of our lives. Our prayers will be that He holds you close and gives you a special peace and joy that only comes from knowing HIS TRUTHS. We will be with Meryl again in our Lords present.
The entire Grove Park Family would like to extend our heart felt sympathies to your family
I never had the pleasure of meeting Meryl but, felt that I knew her thru Megan. I know that she was very special and greatly loved by her family. May God be with you during this time and fill your hearts with His loving kindness in the days ahead.
We are so sad to hear about Meryl. What a joy and light she was to so many. I have such wonderful memories of her and our Heather sharing weekends at Pam-and-Mike’s house together. I know that as she floated to heaven, Heather waited for her with outstretched arms, and today they run, laugh and play together. Our hearts go out to you during this time. May you have peace in the years ahead. Lisa and Amy (parents of Heather Liebler)
I AM SO SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS. MERYL WAS AN ANGEL HERE ON EARTH AND SHE IS A ANGEL IN HEAVEN NOW I LOVED WORKING WITH HER SHE WAS A VERY SWEET CHILD SHE WILL BE MISSED VERY MUCH MY PRAYERS AND LOVE ARE WITH YOU ALL.DELSIE JONES.
To Meryl’s family i am so sorry for your loss, everyone that had the blessing to meet her will truly miss her, I will be praying for you and Meryl
We love you guys. Our hearts go out to you. What a Blessing you have been to Meryl and to us. Our prayers are with you.
Meryl was so very, very special
And was so from the start
You held her in your arms
But mainly in your heart
And like a single drop of rain
That on still waters fall,
Her life did ripples make
And touched the lives of all.
She’s gone to play with angels
In heaven up above
So keep your special memories
And treasure. them with love
Although your darling daughter
Was with you just a while
She’ll live on in your heart
With a sweet remembered smile
Thank you for giving all of us at PEP the opportunity to meet and love Meryl, She was our ray of sunshine….God bless!
Zac and family
Meryl was a gift to everyone at PEP that knew her. She seemed always happy and full of joy. Zac you were a terrific big brother. I remember when you picked her up at that prom and danced with her in your arms, she was on cloud nine. My thoughts and prayers are with all of you.
My first job at PEP as a substitute was at Estes in Meryl’s class. Oh how she loved Barney! I will never forget her cute ponytails, her smile when Barney sang and when Merideth would come to the class and brush her hair…Love and Blessings to her wonderful family.
MIKE, WE ARE VERY SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS. AND WANTED YOU TO KNOW YOU ARE IN OUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS.
STEVEN,BRIDGET,HADDEN,HOLDEN
THOMAS AND DARLA
Tom and Vivian – Our condolences to you and your family. Children should not die before parents and we grieve your loss.
Meryl has been a classmate of my son Steven Huddleston from the time we moved to this state in 2002, and they both attended Valley Springs Middle School Pam Mims’ class. Meryl was a sweet and beautiful young lady and she will be missed.
Sincerely,
Michele Hommes, Steven Huddleston, & Jeff Miller
Thank you so much for sharing such a wonderful gift with all of us at PEP. Meryl was such a blessing and brought smiles and joy to all. Meryl will forever be in our hearts. My prayers for your family that God will hold you close at this most difficult time.
Dear Tom & Vivien,
I am so sorry to hear about the loss of your precious daughter Meryl. I am keeping you and all the family in my prayers.
My Deepest Sympathy,
Glenda Paul
(I work at Prudential Lifestyle in Hendersonville)
May God Bless each of you during this difficult time our prayers are with you all
Mike and Jessica, We are saddened for your loss but Heaven got a beautiful angel. Remember the good times, talk about her often and she will live on within you. We are praying for you all.
Steven, Penny, Rachel and Maggie Smith
Thank God that I had the privalage of being with Meryl on the PEP bus. She was great to be around and brightened the day for all of us.She is having a great time running and playing with the other Angels in Heaven. We are praying that God will bring comfort in you life knowing that Meryl is with him in heaven. GOD bless you and your family
Matt, I read the many messages and blessings written to you and your family about Meryl, and it is plainly clear that she reached in and touched your hearts. When I see you next, I will expect to see some of her in you. Scott Hart
Mitch, I’m so sorry for the loss of your beautiful little sister. I remember watching her when I would help out the PEP program, and just think about all the things you told me about her. You and your family are in my prayers… Just remember, you didn’t lose your angel…she’s just flying above you now.
Tom and the rest of the family, my deepest sympathies are with you during this time. May GOD comfort you and bless you in the days ahead.
Vivien, I am so sorry for your loss. Please know that you are in my thoughts and prayers. With deepest sympathy, Susan Jackson
Tom, our sincere sympathies. Mom informed us today of your terrible loss. You are all in our prayers, always. LoriAnn, Bill, Shirley, Chris and Danielle
Tom, Viv, and Family — My heart aches for you at this saddest of times.
Vivien,
I just found out about your loss when a newspaper article picturing you and Zac was passed on to me. I did not know Meryl, but it is evident that you were all very close. My deepest sympathy to you and your family.