John Snelling
John R. Snelling, 74, died July 25, 2004, at Marion.
Born Sept. 14, 1929, in Florence, he was the son of James and Edith (Drush) Snelling.
He was raised in the Florence area and graduated from Florence High School in 1947.
He joined the U.S. Navy in May 1948, served during the Korean War, and was honorably discharged in May 1952. While enlisted, he met Margaret "Peggy" B. Lewis and they were married April 4, 1951, in Tokyo, Japan.
The couple settled in Aston, Pa., in 1952, and had three children, Marjean, Nadine, and Johnny. His wife, Peggy, died in 1957.
On Sept. 14, 1958, he married Elizabeth J. Scheivert at Aston, Pa., and the couple had two children, William and Beth Ann.
In 1981, John retired from Sun Oil Company, where he was a lab technician and moved his family to a farm north of Florence. He was a farmer and raised cattle..
He was a member of Florence Alumni, Florence American Legion, and the genealogy society. He enjoyed woodworking, collecting John Deere memorabilia, and gardening. He also was dedicated to his family and took great pride in his children and grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents; first wife; and sister, Shirley Robinson.
Survivors include his wife, Elizabeth J. Snelling of Marion; two sons, John R. Snelling of Hampton, Va., and William R. Snelling of Gering, Neb.; three daughters, Marjean Neve of Lansing, Beth Ann Penner of Ogalalla, Neb., and Nadine Bolling of Pahrump, Nev.; a brother, James Snelling of Wichita; 11 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
Funeral services were held at 10:30 a.m. today (Wednesday) at Zeiner Funeral Home, Florence, with the Rev. Mark Moore officiating.
Burial was in Hillcrest Cemetery, Florence, with full military honors.
Memorial funds have been established with Florence Ambulance Service, Central Homecare & Hospice, or Florence Alumni.
