Carolyn J. Snyder

WESTBROOK – Carolyn J. Snyder was born May 24, 1929 in Dover, NH and she passed peacefully on Thursday evening, April 17, 2025 (just shy of her 96th birthday).

She was the youngest of 12 children born to Simonidis Janetos and Vasilo (nee Chapralis) Janetos who had emigrated from Greece. Her five sisters and six brothers predeceased her.

Carolyn grew up on a dairy and vegetable farm in Dover. As the baby, she had privileges not afforded to her brothers and sisters. She graduated from Dover HS in 1947 where she met her future husband, Arthur T. (A.T.) Snyder. After getting married, Carolyn and A.T. spent some time in Hartford, Conn. where daughter Maria and son Simon were born.

Carolyn received a dental hygiene degree and when the family moved to Rockland Avenue in Portland, she began working as a dental hygienist at the dental office on Woodfords that is now Russell Family Dentistry.

In the winter of 1962, the family moved to their current home on Stroudwater Street in Westbrook. In 1970, their 3rd child, Jason, was born, Carolyn quit working as a hygienist but provided vital family support allowing A.T to become a pioneering developer of the Old Port in the 1970’s.

In 1982, Carolyn and Jason moved to Winter Park, Fla. where they joined A.T. and Simon. Carolyn never really took to Florida- most of her brothers and sisters remained in the Dover area.

In 1992, Carolyn and A.T. moved back to their Stroudwater home; A.T. died about a year later and Carolyn became a widow in 1993. Her three children feel blessed to have had such wonderful parents. Both parents were active in the Portland Greek-American community and Carolyn remained a member of the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Portland and was active in the Greek service organization, Daughters of Penelope. Carolyn would often volunteer for church related Greek food activities.

Carolyn enjoyed a variety of activities in the Portland area. When she was younger, she played racquetball and then broadened her love of Greek dancing to include line dancing.

She had life-long interests in plants and card playing. She took pride in her home’s landscaping and tended her outdoor flower garden for many years. When she was no longer able to physically manage the care of her flower garden, she focused on her impressive array of house plants. When she was no longer able to physically manage the care of her flower garden, she focused on her house plants and has an impressive array of house plants. She continued to water her plants until she went to Maine Medical Center on March 24.

Carolyn had great card sense, first honed with her Dover siblings in frequent games of kitty whist. Her interest in cards morphed into a love of playing bridge. She looked forward to her bi-weekly, Wednesday bridge matches and continued playing until just a few weeks ago.

She also enjoyed blackjack and was a very patient player. She and Simon went several times to a Cable Beach casino in Nassau, Bahamas. They also traveled to the MGM Grand casino in Las Vegas several times and she was able to enjoy singers Wayne Newton and Engelbert Humperdinck and several Cirque de Soleil shows.

Carolyn also joined her brothers in enjoying horse racing and often met them at Scarborough Downs. Recently, she went with Maria and Simon to the Cumberland County Fair and wagered a bit on the racing there.

Carolyn was an avid subscriber to the Portland Press Herald for many years. After scanning through the news, she would turn her attention to daily solving the Jumble, the Crossword and the Cryptoquip.

She followed three sports and was knowledgeable about those sports; they were the ones her sons enjoyed watching: NFL football, tennis and golf. Last Sunday, as a patient at New England Rehab Hospital she was cheering on Rory McIlroy to a Masters victory.

Carolyn had a beautiful life and a quick and peaceful death. She was strong and sweet and feisty to the end. She had wonderful friends and two darling nieces, Ahn and Pahm.

The family wants to thank the medical staff (doctors, nurses et al) at MMC, NERH and Gosnell for their compassionate care over the course of those nearly four weeks.

A viewing at Jones Rich Barnes Funeral Home, 199 Woodford St, Portland will take place from 4 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday April 23 with Trisagion service at 6 p.m. A funeral service at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Portland will begin at 11 a.m. on Thursday. A private burial will follow later that day.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks you to give some extra hugs to your loved ones