New London, NH-Cdr. Abram Barr "Cub" Snively III, 75, of Sutton Road, New London died October 18, 2003 at his home surrounded by his family following a short bout with cancer. Cub was born December 1, 1927 in Rumford, ME the son of Abram Barr and Eva Owen Snively and grew up in Williamstown, MA. Cub's father, Abram Barr "Whoop" Snively, Jr., is well remembered for his years at the University of NH where he dedicated his life preparing young men for life. He coached football, hockey and lacrosse. In 1965, a year after Whoop's death, Cub was honored to take part in the dedication of the Snively Memorial Arena on the UNH campus. He graduated from Deerfield Academy, enlisted at age 17 in the US Marines, sent to China and returned to Deerfield for a postgraduate year before entering Williams College for what was described in his yearbook as "two unforgettable years". One of his fondest high school memories was the day he played hockey for his father's college hockey team. The opponent was the US Military Academy at West Point. After the second period, Williams College had a 7-2 lead, and Whoop offered Cub the chance to play. Cub put on a spare uniform, and has wonderful memories of playing for his Dad's team through two line changes. He enjoyed beating Army so much that the Naval Academy was a natural choice for him after two years of Williams College. At USNA he played varsity lacrosse and had anticipated playing on the hockey team only to discover on arrival at the Naval Academy there was no rink. Cub graduated from USNA in 1953. Cub spent 26 glorious years as a Navy pilot. Following USNaval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA, he commanded the first flight of a P2V Neptune over the North Pole while stationed at Brunswick, ME. He and his family enjoyed each of his tours of duty, one of which was four years instructing in the Math Dept. at the USNaval Academy. Cub completed his naval career in Norfolk, VA flying the twin-jet DC-9 which he loved. Following military retirement, he spent two years as a pilot in Wellsville, NY before moving to MA, where he flew corporate jets until the age of 62. Throughout a life of military service, Cub kept his family tied to NH. Many of the family's best memories are of winter and summer vacations spent in Croydon or on Great Island in Lake Sunapee. He enjoyed books (particulary US history), skiing, swimming and hiking the White Mountains with his family. An avid golfer, he played with the same vigor he brought to everything in his life. He proposed to his wife, Joan, on their second date and they were married on June 12, 1954. They recently celebrated their 49th anniversary. He is survived by Joan and their six children: Robert Snively of Fremont, NH; Scott Snively of Yazoo City, MS; Gail Eaton of Auburn, ME; Todd Snively of UT; John Snively of New London, NH; and Dianne Mace of Atkinson, NH; 11 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren. Cub loved God, his family, the Navy and NH. A memorial service will be held on Sunday, October 26, 2003 at 4:00 P.M. at the Wilmot Flat Baptist Church. The Rev. Dr. Allen Koop, pastor, will officiate. Burial will be at the US Naval Academy Columbarium, Annapolis, MD. Memorial contributions may be made to Lake Sunapee Region Visiting Nurse Association Hospice, P.O. Box 2209, New London, NH 03257 or to the American Cancer Society, Gail Singer Memorial Building, 360 State Route 101, Suite 501, Bedford, NH 03110-5032. Chadwick Funeral Service of New London, NH is in charge of arrangements. For more information please visit www.chadwickfuneralservice.com.
Contributor: Jeff Eaton (50106168)