The arts community across Chatham-Kent (CK) is mourning the loss of one of its more prominent members.
James Snyder, the first board chair of the CK Arts Council (CKAC), recently passed away while spending time at his winter home in New Zealand. He was 73.
His death came as a shock to Laurie Langford, the current board chair of CKAC and a longtime friend of Snyder.
She told CK News Today she'll always remember just how smart he was.
"He literally was a walking library of so many things, not just arts and culture," explained Langford.
The two worked together for the Municipality of Chatham-Kent. Work talk would sometimes shift to other topics, like movies, with Langford noting that many conversations would steer towards his love of old cowboy western films.
For her, Snyder's love of arts and culture will be the first thing that comes to mind when she and many others think of him.
Specifically, Langford can still recall the times when Snyder would reminisce about his trips and the many ways other communities celebrated art.
"He kept saying that Chatham-Kent could have these things, Chatham-Kent could be world-class, we just need to start putting things in motion," she added.
Moving forward, Langford believes Snyder should be inducted into the CK Cultural Hall of Fame to properly recognize his contributions to the arts community.
Langford isn't the only one mourning the loss of Snyder. Michael Dymond worked with him for several years back in the 1970s and 1980s.
To this day, Dymond still remembers Snyder's impressive work ethic.
"He was such a committed person to his job and to the community. He was just one of these people who would talk your ear off," he explained.
Dymond moved to Arizona and lived there for several years. He said he would come back occasionally to see family still living in CK and would occasionally run into Snyder.
"It would be like old days, and we'd be talking about the stuff we'd used to do and what he was doing now," he added.
Unfortunately, the two hadn't seen each other in almost two years.
For Dymond, these occasional meet-ups will be one of the many things he remembers when he thinks of Snyder.
