Larry Snyder

Larry E. Snyder, aged 90, of Wilmington, DE, passed away in June in Wilmington, DE. He was born in Osborne, KS to Charles and Sybil Snyder, both deceased. The family moved to Wymore, NE where he graduated from high school in 1954. He was a versatile athlete, participating in football, basketball, and track. His junior and senior years he qualified in the mile run for the state track meet held in Lincoln, NE.

After graduating from high school, he joined the Navy and was sent to the Great Lakes, IL for basic training and then assigned to the communications department at Great Lakes for the next two years. His next assignment was to be on the commissioning crew for the destroyer escort USS Courtney DE-1021 that was commissioned in Charleston, SC. He was responsible for the ship’s mail and later became responsible for the radio room.

During this time in Charleston, SC, he met Julia (Judy) Sansbury who would become his wife. The couple were married in 1958, and on separation from the Navy in June of 1958 as a petty officer first class, the couple moved to Lincoln, NE where he enrolled at the University of Nebraska’s college of engineering, receiving his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering in 1963. Upon graduation, he accepted a position with the DuPont Company in their technical group at the Photo Products Plant in Parlin, NJ. There he worked on characterization of “noise” in black-white cinematography film, and development of a production line for photopolymer printing plates. He enrolled in the Newark College of Engineering (now New Jersey Institute of Technology).  He took evening classes and received his master’s degree in electrical engineering in 1968.

In 1969, he accepted a transfer to the DuPont Experimental Station in Wilmington, DE to work in the Photo Products R & D group where he spent the next 22 years. There he worked on projects that included: electronic radiography, photographic emulsions, gold plating of electrical connectors, and thick film materials for multilayer ceramic circuits.

During his career at DuPont he received several promotions, eventually ending with the title of research associate.

In 1991, he accepted an early retirement incentive and left DuPont after more than 28 years of service.

After leaving DuPont he was hired as a consultant by DuPont to work in their Medical Products Department. He worked there for 18 months with a group in the development of sensors to measure electrolytes in serum and urine. During this time, he received a joint patent for a chloride sensor.

His next seven years were spent with the Perfecseal Co. in North East Philadelphia where he was instrumental in developing heat seal coated products for medical packaging and improving the manufacture of heat seal coatings. He was the R & D manager when he retired in 2001.

He enjoyed being a father and grandfather: going to school activities, sporting events (cross-country, baseball, lacrosse, and flag football) taking photographs, and helping with homework. He also enjoyed trips with wife Judy looking for family roots. They were married 52 years before she preceded him in death. He is also predeceased by his brother Adrian Snyder of Greenville, NC.

He is survived by his two children: daughter Lisa S. Milligan (Edward) of Smithsburg, MD, son Neil E. Snyder (Cheryl) of Wilmington, DE, and four grandchildren: Ryan and Sean Milligan, Jordan and Avery Snyder.