Horace Snedeker, 91, of Big Rock, a longtime farmer and outdoor enthusiast, died Tuesday, Jan. 6, in McAuley Manor in Aurora after a series of strokes. Born in Carthage, S.D., Mr. Snedeker grew up in an agricultural community, where he learned the fundamentals of farming and developed an appreciation for nature. In 1932 he married his late wife, Leona, and the couple made their home and farmed in Carthage during what family members described as some of the state’s worst years of drought and dust storms. In 1941 they moved to Big Rock, where Mr. Snedeker continued farming for two more decades. After he retired from the fields, he went to work for the Big Rock Implement Co. in Aurora and in later years was employed with Smith and Richardson Manufacturing in Geneva. Family members said Mr. Snedeker’s hands were never idle. He loved woodworking in his basement shop and was “a handyman on 24-hour call” for his friends and neighbors. Throughout his life, Mr. Snedeker enjoyed hunting, fishing and camping. He also delighted in reading western novels and mysteries long into the night. Family members credit his character and strength to devotion to his faith and a dry sense of humor, “the oil that kept the lives of those he loved turning, even in the roughest of times.” Mr. Snedeker is survived by two sons, Dean and Richard; two daughters, Martha Lipinski and Muriel Luther; a sister, Edith Corbin; 13 grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren; and nine great-great-grandchildren. Visitation is scheduled from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday in Conley Funeral Home, 116 W. Pierce St., Elburn. Services will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday in Big Rock Baptist Church, 3rd and Lincoln Streets, Big Rock.
