Eugene H. Snyder

Eugene H. Snyder, 67 of Scottsbluff, formerly of Banner County, passed away on Sunday, July 26, 2015 at Heritage Estates in Gering after a courageous battle with lung cancer with his loving wife Rita and his family by his side.

His funeral service will be held at 10 a.m. on Thursday, July 30, at the First United Methodist Church in Gering with Rev. Seth Leypoldt officiating. Burial will follow at Fairview Cemetery in Scottsbluff with military honors provided by the Nebraska Army National Guard.

Visitation will be held from 1-7 p.m. on Wednesday, July 19, at Dugan-Kramer Funeral Chapel in Scottsbluff and one hour prior to the service on Thursday at the church. Memorials may be given to the family who will designate and distribute them at a later date. His obituary may be viewed and online condolences left at http://www.dugankramer.com

Eugene was born Feb. 28, 1948 at Scottsbluff to Herbert and Linda (Sheeks) Snyder. He graduated from Banner County High School with the Class of 1966. He graduated from Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture in Curtis and continued his education in farm management at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He subsequently enlisted in the U.S. Army and served his country while be stationed in Honolulu, Hawaii. Upon his honorable discharge he set out on an adventure to Southern California. Looking for work, he stopped at a horse training ranch in the Santa Ynez Valley near Solvang where he got a job building fence for the Flag Is Up Farms for Monty Roberts. That short term job turned into years as he soon became the manager at all farming activities.

On a visit back to Nebraska he met his future wife, Rita, and that ended his time in California. Eugene and Rita Ann (Lee) Fegler were married on July 18, 1986 at the Twin Tree Chapel in Banner County. The couple and their children, Amy Snyder, Sarah Snyder and Jason Fegler, became a loving family. Eugene and Rita moved to the Snyder home place where they lived and farmed for 21 years and then he spent eight years at Clean Harbors Environmental Service near Kimball before retiring in December of 2013. The couple moved to Scottsbluff in December of 2014.

Eugene was a wood craftsman of the highest order. Give him a challenge to build anything out of wood and he would study it for a while and then the cabinet or whatever would take shape. He will be remembered by many of his relatives for taking the old Snyder home and renovating and upgrading it while keeping the structure recognizable as the original home.

Eugene leaves behind his wife, Rita; daughters, Amy (Aaron) Thompson of Goodland, Kan., and Sarah (Vaughn) Bechtol of Sherwood, Ore; daughter-in-law, Shianne Fegler of Chesapeake, Va .; four grandchildren, Kameron and Danielle Snyder and Kaitlin Thompson all of Goodland, Kan., and Aiden Fegler of Chesapeake, Va .; his mother-in-law, Myrna Lee of Hay Springs; brother-in-law, Bruce (Bev) Lee of Hay Springs; sisters-in-law, Kathy Katen of Hay Springs, Linda Bradfield of Alliance, Carol (Phil) Amateis of Broadwater, and Kristi (Bruce) Kutschara of Scottsbluff; many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

Eugene was preceded in death by his parents; son, Army Staff Sargent Jason Fegler; and his father-in-law, Robert Lee.