Marvin J. Snyder

Marvin John Snyder, UC Cooperative Extension vegetable advisor emeritus, passed away on Sept. 6, 2024, at Merrill Gardens in Santa Maria. He was 96.

The North Dakota native earned a bachelor's degree in agriculture from Iowa State University. Immediately following graduation, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy for four years. In 1955, after Snyder was discharged from the Navy, he joined UC Cooperative Extension as a vegetable crops advisor based in Santa Maria. He worked with vegetable and strawberry growers in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.

“I knew him very well and he was one of those classic farm advisors of his time. Very dignified and kind,” said Richard Smith, whose 37-year career as a UCCE vegetable crop advisor mostly for San Benito, Monterey and Santa Cruz counties overlapped with Snyder's.

“Marvin worked extensively with Extension specialists on pest management issues such as nematodes infecting cole crops and sugar beets,” Smith said. “Back in his time, before the development of the role of pest control advisers helping growers on a daily basis, Marvin was essential to helping growers with pest management decisions and conducting research to help growers address many insect and disease issues as well as growing practices of cool season vegetables along the coast.”

Snyder retired from UCCE in 1991 after 36 years of service.

He was a great supporter of the Santa Barbara County Fair in Santa Maria and served on the Board of Directors for many years. He loved working with the youth, assisting 4-H members with their vegetable and animal participation. In the early 1990s, Snyder established Friends of the Fair, with profits from their concession sales going to improvements for the fair.

Family and friends of Snyder are invited to attend a Celebration of Life Gathering on Saturday, Oct. 5, at 2 p.m. at St. Andrew United Methodist Church located at 3945 S. Bradley Road in Santa Maria.

In lieu of flowers, his family requests that donations be made to St. Andrew United Methodist Church, 3945 S. Bradley Rd., Santa Maria, CA 93455

Read more about Snyder's life at https://www.dudleyhoffmanmortuary.com/obituaries/Marvin-John-Snyder?obId=33044688#/obituaryInfo.