U.S. Army Sgt. Devin A. Snyder, 20, of Cohocton was killed in action, Saturday, June 4, 2011, in Afghanistan.
Devin was born Aug. 7, 1990, in Virginia Beach, Va., a daughter of Edward and Dineen (Kanaval) Snyder. Devin began her athletic career in 1994, at the age of 4 running in the quarter mile kid’s run in Cohocton. She was successful in the race, claiming the first place medal, while wearing hiking boots. She played her first organized soccer with the Flash Soccer Travel Team at the age of 8. She ran with the Wayland–Cohocton Varsity Track Team as an eighth-grader at the age of 14. She broke the school’s steeplechase record in 2006, which still stands today. She attended the NYS high track meet in the 4x800 relay in 2007 and again 2008 where the team finished fourth. Devin was a 2008 graduate of Wayland–Cohocton Central School.
Devin entered the U.S. Army on Aug. 11, 2008, in Ft. Leonard Wood, Mo. She was part of Company D, 787th Military Police Battalion as a private E-2 and graduated on Jan. 15, 2009, receiving the certificate for exceptional achievement in obtaining a score of 297 on the Army Physical Fitness Test. She then was transferred and stationed in Fort Richardson, Anchorage, Alaska, in February 2009. Shortly after her arrival at Fort Richardson, she received the honor of Solider of the Month and attended four promotion boards, winning two, with the ranks of private first class and specialist, as well as obtaining a 300-point score numerous times, which were the highest point total in her 164th MP Company, 793rd Military Police Battalion, in Fort Richardson. Devin was deployed to Afghanistan in March 2011.
Devin looked forward to having a family of her own someday, pursuing a degree as a deception analyst as well as becoming a tattoo model. She had many interests and hobbies, some of which were running, her passion for soccer and her deep care of animals, but most of all she loved and adored her family, her friends, her town, her classmates and her fellow soldiers. Devin lived by the “Serenity Prayer”: “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change ... Courage to change the things I can and wisdom to know the difference. Amen.”
Devin is survived by her parents, Ed and Dineen Snyder; two brothers, Derek (Mariah) Snyder of Cohocton and Pfc. Damien Snyder stationed at Fort Carson, Colo.; a sister, Airman Natasha Snyder, ABHAN (AW), of Hampton, Va.; a niece, Ariel Snyder of Cohocton; maternal grandparents, Shirley and Clair Fairbrother of Cohocton; paternal grandmother, Sandy Stevens of Cohocton; maternal great-grandparents, Shirley and Gloria Saxton of Avoca; her aunts and uncles, Danette and Greg McInnis of Cohocton, A.J. Kanaval of Dansville, Ruby and Dale Leiberman of Carthage, Lori Drum and Walter Drum both of Wayland; many cousins. She is predeceased by her maternal grandfather, Tony Kanaval and her paternal grandfather, Theodore Snyder.
U.S. Army Sgt. Devin A. Snyder, 20, of Cohocton was killed in action, Saturday, June 4, 2011, in Afghanistan.
Devin was born Aug. 7, 1990, in Virginia Beach, Va., a daughter of Edward and Dineen (Kanaval) Snyder. Devin began her athletic career in 1994, at the age of 4 running in the quarter mile kid’s run in Cohocton. She was successful in the race, claiming the first place medal, while wearing hiking boots. She played her first organized soccer with the Flash Soccer Travel Team at the age of 8. She ran with the Wayland–Cohocton Varsity Track Team as an eighth-grader at the age of 14. She broke the school’s steeplechase record in 2006, which still stands today. She attended the NYS high track meet in the 4x800 relay in 2007 and again 2008 where the team finished fourth. Devin was a 2008 graduate of Wayland–Cohocton Central School.
Devin entered the U.S. Army on Aug. 11, 2008, in Ft. Leonard Wood, Mo. She was part of Company D, 787th Military Police Battalion as a private E-2 and graduated on Jan. 15, 2009, receiving the certificate for exceptional achievement in obtaining a score of 297 on the Army Physical Fitness Test. She then was transferred and stationed in Fort Richardson, Anchorage, Alaska, in February 2009. Shortly after her arrival at Fort Richardson, she received the honor of Solider of the Month and attended four promotion boards, winning two, with the ranks of private first class and specialist, as well as obtaining a 300-point score numerous times, which were the highest point total in her 164th MP Company, 793rd Military Police Battalion, in Fort Richardson. Devin was deployed to Afghanistan in March 2011.
Devin looked forward to having a family of her own someday, pursuing a degree as a deception analyst as well as becoming a tattoo model. She had many interests and hobbies, some of which were running, her passion for soccer and her deep care of animals, but most of all she loved and adored her family, her friends, her town, her classmates and her fellow soldiers. Devin lived by the “Serenity Prayer”: “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change ... Courage to change the things I can and wisdom to know the difference. Amen.”
Devin is survived by her parents, Ed and Dineen Snyder; two brothers, Derek (Mariah) Snyder of Cohocton and Pfc. Damien Snyder stationed at Fort Carson, Colo.; a sister, Airman Natasha Snyder, ABHAN (AW), of Hampton, Va.; a niece, Ariel Snyder of Cohocton; maternal grandparents, Shirley and Clair Fairbrother of Cohocton; paternal grandmother, Sandy Stevens of Cohocton; maternal great-grandparents, Shirley and Gloria Saxton of Avoca; her aunts and uncles, Danette and Greg McInnis of Cohocton, A.J. Kanaval of Dansville, Ruby and Dale Leiberman of Carthage, Lori Drum and Walter Drum both of Wayland; many cousins. She is predeceased by her maternal grandfather, Tony Kanaval and her paternal grandfather, Theodore Snyder.
Friends may call 1-7 p.m. Thursday and Friday at the Walter E. Baird & Sons Funeral Home, 300 West Naples St., Wayland. Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Cohocton Sports Complex. (Due to the possibility of inclement weather, funeral services may be moved to the Field House at Wayland–Cohocton High School, check the funeral home website for details). The burial service with full military honors will follow at the Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Cohocton.
Memorial contributions may be made to the track or girls soccer program at Wayland–Cohocton Central School, 2350 State Route 63, Wayland, NY 14572. Those who wish to light a memory candle for Devin may do so at www.bairdfuneralhomes.com.
