John Snyder

John, “The Dean” Snyder passed away peacefully on February 17 at home. John was a fixture for more than 40 years at Trinity then Central Catholic High School in Bloomington.

He was born on December 7, 1931, in Odell, Illinois, the son of Gene and Mary Vivian Snyder.

When John was 14 years old, both of his parents were killed when a train struck their car. He then made his home with his aunt and uncle, John and Bernadine Snyder, in Cornell, IL. Tragedy struck his family later when two of his brothers, Mike and Gene were both also killed in automobile accidents.

John was an outstanding athlete at Cornell High School. He earned 5 Varsity letters during his senior year.

After graduation, he enlisted in the U.S, Marine Corps. He served with the first Marine Division in Korea and saw combat for a year. He was always proud to be a Marine. After the war ended, he used the GI Bill to attend Illinois State Normal University. His goal was to become a high school teacher and coach because of the bond that he had with his own high school coach. He earned both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from ISNU. After graduation he began his teaching and coaching career at Trinity High School. He taught American History and coached basketball and baseball. In 1965, he was the Varsity coach of the Saints football team, basketball team and baseball team. His passion was coaching basketball and the Saint’s teams were always a force to be reckoned with.

During his tenure his teams won 558 games, 16 Regional titles, 3 Sectional titles and made 3 appearances in the Elite 8 in Champaign. During 1 stretch, the Saints compiled a record of 32 wins and 1 loss in Regional play. John coached numerous All State players and felt privileged to work with outstanding athletes and more importantly outstanding young men. His heart and soul belonged to the Central Catholic Saints. John was also the first layman to become the school’s Athletic Director.

Because of his outstanding accomplishments, he received many honors and was inducted into several Halls of Fame. He was a member of The Central Catholic Hall of Fame, Illinois Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame, Illinois State University Athletic Hall of Fame, and the Bloomington Normal Officials Hall of Fame.

He was an avid Chicago White Sox and Notre Dame fan. He loved spending winters in Destin, Florida. He also enjoyed spending time at OTB or at a track. Visitors to the family home always left with one or more lottery scratch offs. Everyone loved his stories, no matter how often they heard them.

John met the love of his life, Sandy Rhoman, at ISNU. They were married on July 30, 1960, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Metamora, Il. He especially loved family gatherings and looked forward to Christmas celebrations. When the children were young the family always traveled during the summer visiting more than 40 states and many Canadian provinces. John always wanted to go to Ireland, and he and Sandy made that trip,

John was preceded in death by his parents, his aunt and uncle he later lived with, his brothers, Mike, Pat, Gene and Jim Snyder. His sister Margaret Colclasure. In 2008, his son John Snyder Jr. passed away.

He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Sandra Snyder; a son Mark (Maria) Snyder of St. Charles, MO.; a daughter, Rae Ann (Dave) Ploense of Normal; four grandchildren, Danny (Danielle) Snyder of Lake in the Hills, IL, Allison Ploense of Huntsville, AL, Brady Ploense of Philadelphia, PA and Emma Snyder of St. Charles, MO; one great grandchild, Josie Snyder; a sister, Joan Soltis of Ottawa, Il, and many nieces and nephews.

John was a member of Epiphany Catholic Church and the VFW.

Visitation for Coach Snyder will be from 4:00-6:00 p.m., Friday, February 21, 2025, at Cvengros Gymnasium at Central Catholic High School, 1201 Airport RD, Bloomington, IL. The Mass of Christian Burial will be 1t 10:00 a.m., Saturday, February 22, at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Bloomington. Military rites will be performed at church and followed by burial at Holy Cross Cemetery in Normal.

Instead of flowers, memorial contributions can be made (payable to CCHS Foundation) to the John Snyder Scholarship fund at Central Catholic High School or to a charity of your choice.

John will be remembered as a person of strong convictions who always felt you could reach your goals if you worked hard and never gave up. He often said, “Don’t tell me you can’t do it!”

To express condolences online, please visit www.carmodyflynn.com.