Franklin “De” Snyder, born December 8, 1948 in Loudon, Tennessee, took his last ride on November 16, 2025, in Dunnellon, Florida. He never cared much for fanfare, so it feels fitting to keep this simple and straight, the way he lived.

 

De spent his life working with his hands, putting in the kind of labor most people avoid and rarely appreciate. He served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, an experience that shaped him more than he ever talked about. He carried that grit into everything he did.

 

When he wasn’t working, he preferred being outdoors. Most often that meant a horse, a trail, and some distance from anything loud or complicated. He didn’t need much to be content. A quiet stretch of land and a good animal under him suited him better than any crowd ever could.

 

De leaves behind his wife of 50 years, Paula Snyder, his stepdaughter Kelly Webb, his sons Richard and Robert Hughes, and a growing number of grandchildren and great-grandchildren. They knew his ways, his routines, his stubborn streak, and the particular kind of reliability he brought to their lives. He wasn’t one for speeches or big gestures, but he showed up in the ways he knew how.. steady, present, and consistent.

 

He was strong-willed and rarely swayed by anything other than his own sense of what was right. As those who knew him gather to say their last goodbye, they carry forward what he left behind: work hard, speak plainly, stand firm, and look after your own. It’s not fancy, but it’s real, and that kind of legacy holds its ground.

 

Family and friends will gather to share stories, trade memories, and offer their last goodbyes. A quiet moment to honor a life lived plainly, firmly, and on his own terms.