WESTERLO — George R. “Robbie” Snyder, who loved snowmobiling and logging, ran the family excavating business and also farmed.

He died at home on Wednesday July 6, 2022. He was 70.

He was born on Feb. 14, 1952, son of the late George W. and Mary E. (née Brennan) Snyder, and lived in Westerlo all of his life. He was a National Honor Society graduate of Berne-Knox-Westerlo School Class of 1970, where he played varsity soccer and ran varsity track and cross-country.

He attended Hudson Valley Community College, where his studies were interrupted by a hitch in the United States Navy Seabees Reserves, eventually graduating with an associate’s degree in construction technology in 1974. He took over and ran the family excavating business, George W. Snyder and Son, for many years, then became the grounds maintenance manager for Hannay Reels.

He ended his working career as a building/facilities manager for the Picotte Companies in 2014. During much of this time, he was also a hay farmer. He served as a member of the board of directors for the Dr. Anna W. Perkins Helderberg Medical Center and the Westerlo Rural Cemetery Association.

“He was an avid snowmobiler, so much so that he and his brother built a camp on Tug Hill where he spent every spare minute, regardless of season,” his family wrote in a tribute. “He was a very active member of the Turin Ridge Riders Snowmobile Club, devoting many hours to trail marking and maintenance, and the construction of their new groomer barn. He also enjoyed logging and sawing lumber on his portable sawmill, and cutting firewood and maintaining the farmland he and his brother owned in Westerlo.

“He is survived by his beloved wife of 49 years, Gail Darlene (née Lounsbury) whom he met when she was out celebrating her 18th birthday. They were inseparable from that moment on, and made a wonderful couple. Together they shared many travel adventures, love of Tug Hill, Labrador retrievers, and NASCAR racing. They attended hundreds of NASCAR races, cheering their favorites, Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Jr.

“He is also survived by his brother, Peter Snyder, of Westerlo, who shared much of his life and passions, and idolized him as his big brother.

“Also surviving are his nephew, Mark Lounsbury Jr. of Westerlo, and his wife, Alicia, and their children, Zoey and Owen; his niece, Jennifer O’Leary and her husband, Kevin of Cranston, of Rhode Island, and their children, Conor and Declan; Uncle Robert Snyder and Aunt Catherine Latham of Westerlo; numerous cousins, in-laws, friends (and a few outlaws).”

Visitation will be held Monday, July 11, from 10 a.m. to noon at the A.J. Cunningham Funeral Home at 4898 State Route 81 in Greenville, followed by a brief service at noon. Interment will immediately follow at the Westerlo Rural Cemetery.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association of NENY, 4 Pine West Plaza, Suite 405, Albany, NY 12205 or to American Cancer Society HopeClub, 1 Penny Ln, Latham, NY 12110.

Contributions would be appreciated, his family said, “ as they would benefit finding cures for diseases that affected his beloved Gail.”