Peggy Miller treasures her memories of her brother, Bob Snyderwine. Stories of their exploits, as children growing up in Sharon sparkle in Peggy’s telling. Photos show them together as adorable toddlers, and in their teen years, photos capture Bob’s remarkable capacity to set up a laugh or deliver a surprise. The Snyderwine family and Sharon, Pennsylvania stepped up, just as Bob and Peggy graduated from high school, the seasons when the US entered World War II. Bob served his country in the Navy, and Peggy “stepped into his shoes†helping with the Snyderwine family business. This experience of shared roles was a common one for families across the country. While Bob was away, his sister and the family kept him in their hearts, listening to radio coverage of progress abroad and any news that tracked the troops. In pictures and stories, it is clear that Snyderwine family traditions brought everyone together over celebrations and over shared missions, in seasons of fun and demanding times alike. As Peggy and Bob continued in life, they built families who carried on those traditions, Bob’s in Pennsylvania and Ohio and Peggy out West.In Peggy’s memories of Bob, it is clear that fishing brought Snyderwines together. Peggy relates in many ways, whether set against Conneaught Lake or the grander waters of Lake Erie, the lessons and skills that Bob and Peggy learned there. The lessons of that time and place formed Bob and Peggy into strong advocates for self-sufficiency, but also for generosity based in the amazing strength and joy that is achieved when family and community come together. The lakes brought them together, and even in family gatherings in later life, it was Bob’s story telling that sent sparks of laughter across circles of grand children and seniors alike. Both Bob Snyderwine and Peggy Miller worked through generations of family history, with a shared passion for genealogy. Bob’s family tree and history work has left their families with a record that illuminates heritage and history, and strengthens the ties between relations and generations. Bob Snyderwine’s presence shines in memory, and will be influential in the lives of the children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews who will step into his shoes, next.
