CHARLESTON, W.Va. — State and United States flags in the Capital City and in Jefferson County will be flown at half-staff over the next week to remember former State Senator Herb Snyder.
Snyder died Monday at the age of 72. He spent 16 years representing the Eastern Panhandle in the West Virginia State Senate as a Democrat, from 1997 to 2005 and 2009 to 2017.
Gov. Patrick Morrisey ordered the U.S. and West Virginia flags at the state Capitol Complex in Charleston, in addition to all state facilities in Jefferson County, to lower to half-staff, starting Friday night. The flags will remain at half-staff through sunset next Friday.
“Herb Snyder dedicated much of his life to serving the people of the Eastern Panhandle and the State of West Virginia,” Morrisey said. “Whether as a county commissioner, state senator, or business owner, he believed in giving back to his community.”
“As we lower our flags in his honor, we recognize a lifetime of public service and extend our prayers to his family and all who knew him,” Morrisey added. “Herb cared about people and solving problems — I knew that from every conversation I had with him long before I served in public office.”
Snyder also served six years on the Jefferson County Commission, beginning in 1990.
He was born in Winchester, Virginia, and grew up in Shenandoah Junction, West Virginia. He graduated from Shepherdstown High School in 1972, then went on to receive a B.S. in Chemistry from Shepherd College five years later.
Outside of politics, Snyder launched Hydrochem Laboratories in Shenandoah Junction in the late 1970s, owning and operating the business over nearly four decades.
He restored the historic Wildwood Farm in Shenandoah Junction after purchasing it in 1979; it was his home until he died.
Snyder, who was preceded in death by his wife, Stephanie Shaffer Snyder, is survived by his five children, six grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.