Doris V. Snider

Doris Vater Snider, 100, died peacefully on Sunday, May 5, 2019 at Miller’s Assisted Living in Wakarusa, Indiana. Doris’s long, active life was a testament to her ever optimistic attitude and the power of positive thinking. She lived her abundant life by the words of the Serenity Prayer, and her grace, humor, wisdom, and devotion were a blessing to all who knew her. Doris was born on September 18, 1918, in Whiting, Indiana, to Ernst and Lucy (Hatch) Vater. Ernst ran the Vater Coal Company, and Lucy was a homemaker. Doris had many fond memories of her wonderful family and happy childhood. She was the oldest of three daughters, and her sisters Billie (Mrs. Patrick) Brady and Betty (Mrs. Don) Whyte preceded her in death. Her husband, Carlyle J. Snider, originally of Nappanee, Indiana, preceded her in death in 1988, and son, Thomas C. Snider, preceded her in death in 1989. Doris graduated from George Rogers Clark High School in Hammond, Indiana, in 1936, where she served as editor of the yearbook and a member of the band and debate team. She earned her degree in education from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, in 1940, where she was president of the Chi Omega Sorority. She met and fell in love with Carlyle in the fall of her senior year while listening to him play trombone in various dance bands. Doris taught in Griffith, Indiana, for one year prior to their marriage. After marrying in 1941, the couple lived in Bremen, Indiana. Carlyle was the Bremen High School band director, and Doris taught at Lakeville High School for three years. They moved to Hammond, Indiana, in 1944, where Carlyle became the band director at George Rogers Clark High School and Doris was a homemaker, president of the Hoosier Art Salon of Northwest Indiana, and president and province officer of Tri Kappa Sorority. She was proud of her 83 year affiliation with Tri Kappa. Doris and Carlyle became parents to Thomas in 1946 and Janet in 1950. Doris returned to teaching high school English and speech at Hammond Clark High School in 1961, where she was a beloved teacher for 19 years. She retired from teaching in 1980 and moved back to Bremen in 1987. Doris enjoyed many years with her dear friends, who were affectionately nicknamed “The Golden Girls,” traveling together and attending a wide range of school activities and sporting events. She was active for many years in the First United Church of Christ Bible study group, Bremen Public Library book discussion group, and a sewing group with friends from South Bend, and she regularly attended Notre Dame women’s basketball games. Doris kept her mind sharp by reading and doing crossword and Sudoku puzzles. Doris enjoyed living at Grandview South Condominiums in Bremen and most recently at Miller’s Assisted Living in Wakarusa where she formed close friendships and was helped by a devoted and compassionate staff. She was grateful for the skilled and thoughtful care of Dr. Robert Kolbe and Dr. John Kobayashi, who enabled her to reach her 100th birthday. Above all else, Doris was most proud of her role as “Mimi” to her four great-granddaughters, her two grandchildren, and all of their friends. Her favorite pastime was watching her great-granddaughters play during frequent family visits, while her second favorite pastime was bragging about them to anyone who would listen. Doris was the matriarch of an extended family who admired, respected, and loved her dearly: daughter and son-in-law, Janet and Kent Reed, Bremen, Indiana, Doris’s steadfast advocates, caregivers, and companions throughout her later years; grandson and wife, Corey and Erin Reed, and great-granddaughters, Leighton, Graelyn, and Brennan Reed, Baton Rouge, Louisiana; granddaughter, Jennifer Harrington, and great-granddaughter, Taylor Harrington, Arlington, Virginia; three nieces (Carol Whyte Talabay, Patricia Brady Cole-Ford, and JoAnn Whyte Wayne); two nephews (Timothy Brady and Bill Whyte), and extended family. A memorial service and celebration of Doris’s life will be held at the First United Church of Christ, 323 S. Center Street, Bremen, Indiana, on June 15, 2019. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. followed by the memorial service at 12 p.m. All are invited for a meal and fellowship following the service. Mishler’s Funeral Home in Bremen is handling the arrangements. Memorial contributions may be made to the First United Church of Christ. A private burial will take place at a later date at the Vater family plot in Elmwood Cemetery in Hammond, Indiana.