CUBA TRAVEL U.S.

MY DAD

He was a wonderful man an excellent provider, an excellent father, grandfather and husband, a leader and advocate for our constitutional rights. He was a strong man and generous soul.

I am proud to call him my father and to raise his grandson, Jacob.

Growing up, I knew my father would do ANYTHING, and I mean anything for me and his family; including spoiling me, as most of you know.

He was strong man, in more ways than one.

As a young man, he helped support his family financially and in taking care of the home and siblings.  I am told he always made sure the younger kids in his family had a good Christmas.

Then as a marine, they initially chose a tough guy from Chicago to be the leader of their platoon. When he could not handle it, my father took the lead. Again; taking punishment, when one of his troops got out of line and was punished by the drill instructor, he took the punishment as well. If they dropped and gave 50, so did he.  

He was also the first Marine in history to get a perfect score on the exam.

He was first and lead at many things in his lifetime. He owned his own business at a very young age, an Independent insurance Agency. Seeing all of those claims brought him to be very protective of us. When all of my friends got mopeds…not me; I was not allowed to ride one at all.

Thinking back, he did not allow me in the kitchen when I was young….so I would not burn myself or maybe it was burn the house down??? Today you still won’t find me in the kitchen that often. Not for anything too complicated anyway.

As children, he took us on many vacations. He coached Derek’s teams.  He played in father daughter softball games.  One time, When he came up to bat, he hit the ball extremely hard…and a foul ball (he said intentionally). The ball hit a  pole, dented the ball and the green stamp on the pole was left marked on the ball…Everyone backed way up…then he bunted and turned it into a double.

He was also a protector of the environment. When we first moved to Kingwood, we walked down the street and across a park to a convenience store, located in a small office complex. Along the way he picked up trash someone left behind. A gentleman from one of the offices there came out and thanked him and said he had never seen anyone do that before.

Early on in the fishing business, they implemented Catch and Release, a new concept in the 70’s… (Especially for US citizens)

He was an incredible storyteller… I imagine that talent was greatly improved during his fishing days.

He was also a protector and of our rights and helped those in need.

He always bought thousands of dollars of fishing equipment and things for the locals living in towns nearby their fishing lakes and left it there.  He went on hundreds of trips and did that most every time.  He helped many people over the years, in the countries they fished in.

 At home, he stood up for our constitutional rights.

He had NO FEAR; his beliefs where so strong, he took on our Government, in fighting for our constitutional right of freedom of travel, unless war has been declared.

He made a lot of head way…got the ball rolling, and today we are close to seeing his dream realized. I wish he was here to see it.

I also wish he was here to see his favorite (and only) grandson Jacob as he grows up.

He always wanted to live on the water, this year I made it there, I wish his health was good enough to come down and enjoy it. He could have fished right off of my pier, with his grandson. He would have loved that. His eyes lit up every time he saw or spoke of or to Jacob. The thought of Jacob brought much joy to his life.

He read the bible everyday, and had a strong faith…that allowed him to live his live without fear and with conviction.

My mother stood beside him along the way, no matter the circumstance. I know this will be most difficult for her. They spent nearly 50 years together. She devoted her life to all of us.  It will take time for the grieving process; I know God will turn your grief into fond memories. I pray, and I know dad would want you to find something to fill your life with love and joy. Maybe, one of the dreams or hobbies you gave up along the way to take care of all of us.  Please know, we are all here for you, maybe you will let us help you through this. Know our hearts and doors are always open to you. NO ONE, could have done a better job taking care of dad than you, mom.

I know I disappointed him many times, I hope my actions will make him proud now and in the future. We were both stubborn and did not take no for an answer. Even when we had words, only minutes later all was forgotten….the LOVE was ALWAYS there!

I am saddened he suffered so much the last few years of his life, especially the final 24 hours. I know he is out of pain, there will be no more suffering and he is at peace with God now. Still looking out for us and the many he cared for deeply from Heaven.

We will deeply miss Dan Snow, our amazing father, grandfather, husband, brother and friend. We will remember him daily and love him forever.