Thomas "Tom" Frank Snyder

Thomas “Tom” Frank Snyder, 86, passed away peacefully of natural causes on May 22, 2026.

He was a lifelong resident of Choteau, Montana, being the fourth of five children born to Sid and Tillie (Hood) Snyder. Tom cherished being close to family and friends throughout his childhood and all his adult life. He attended Choteau Public Schools and enjoyed most sports, especially boxing. In 1956, he won the Golden Gloves Novice Lightweight Trophy, an accomplishment he was proud to achieve.

Starting his working career at a young age, he held various jobs from farming and ranching to carpentry. He also worked side by side next to his dad and uncles shearing sheep in the area. For many years, he was the one-man sanitation crew for the City of Choteau, and he loved using his D6 Cat after he was awarded the contract as the manager of the city landfill.

In 1961, Tom married Elinor Thorman. During the next ten years they were blessed with three sons and a daughter. He adored his family. Family life to Tom was about passing on timeless lessons of hard work, character, and gratitude. Often, these lessons were learned through the hardships and challenges of rural life while raising animals, gardening, and making the most with what you have. As resources were scarce, his brilliant ingenuity would always get the job done.

Working and driving draft horses was Tom’s greatest passion. He had several teams, but Molly and Duke, a Belgium team, were his pride and joy. Being an excellent, self-taught teamster, he utilized his teams for feeding cattle, harvesting timber on the Rocky Mountain front, and even hitching them up for the 4th of July parade.

Tom’s gentle and kind spirit will be missed. He was preceded in death by his parents; rekindled partner, Elinor Snyder; sister, Maxine Lusky; and brother, Mike Snyder. He is survived by two brothers, Walter Snyder and Roy (Gayle) Snyder; sons, Neil (Cindy) Snyder, Clayton (Brenda) Snyder, and Darwin (Bobbie) Snyder; daughter, Shelly (Bob) Sien; grandchildren, Aaron, Nolan, Raelene, Darwin Jr., Brandon, Dareik, Cassidy, and Jacob; and several great-grandchildren.

A memorial service is planned for Saturday, June 6, at 3:00 PM at the Stage Stop Inn in Choteau with a reception to follow. Inurnment will take place at the Choteau Cemetery following the service.