Dr. Gary Wayne Snell

Gary Wayne Snell was born February 14, 1949 in the small town of Xenia, Ohio which is about halfway between Columbus and Cincinnati. His parents Charles & Bonnie were loving, hardworking, honest people who lived in a way to propel the lives of their 3 Snell boys Charlie, Gary & Mark from more than what they themselves had. Gary grew up learning the importance of education, determination, & discipline along with the joys of boating, camping, team sports, music & family. Gary attended University of Cincinnati on an academic scholarship and graduated with a degree in pharmacy. As a freshman he met his first wife, Mary a fellow pharmacy student. He then attended Tulane medical school while working as a retail pharmacist. In New Orleans they welcomed their first child, Jeni within days of his graduation & then headed back to SW Ohio for his residency program. Summer of 1979 they moved to Sanford, Florida to form Hardwick & Snell, a family practice partnership. Months later they welcomed Niki to the family. Dr. Snell’s aim was to provide sensible, accessible health care to his patients. Coming from a modest upbringing he was compassionate in his commitment to helping all people. They excitedly completed their family by welcoming Mike. The family of 5 lived a great life in two Sanford homes. They spent much time boating on the St Johns River, day camping, spending time together & taking road trips throughout the eastern US. Dr Snell was a social person and loved to host parties, play team sports and complete home improvement projects. Over the years both his parents & brothers followed to Florida & they all remained close. In 2005 he met & later married, Myra and began a new chapter welcoming into his life her grown children Jeff, Jenny & their families. He continued to serve the Sanford community as a respected, straight forward Family Practice doctor for many years. Gary & Myra enjoyed travel, beach condos, the St Johns River, extended family gatherings and actively participating in the lives of their combined five children & sixteen grandchildren. He suffered a mild stroke early in 2023 and then a more serious one last week. We weren’t ready to say goodbye but are grateful we got the opportunity to before he peacefully passed in Hospice care on June 1, 2023. Dr. Gary W Snell will be remembered for many different things to many different people. His impact on the health and quality of thousands of lives throughout his 45+ year medical career is impressive & greatly appreciated. His commitment to instilling in his children the values of integrity, hard work, determination, room for fun, a sprinkle of stubbornness & sometimes impatience are evident. He was a proud father. He loved his family & his life. He also loved the Cincinnati Reds, making homemade fudge, texting with emojis, convertibles, singing while playing guitar, electric cars especially his Tesla & bragging about no cost of gas, heated blankets & space heaters, Captain Morgan w coke, cashews, olives, the many dogs & cats of his lifetime, campfires, new technology gadgets, teaching grandkids practical things, being at the beach but not being on the beach, buying & selling cars & beach condos, time with family, travel, Duraflames, junk food, debating politics, being generous to his family and living a wonderful daily life with his beautiful wife & partner. He’s survived and dearly missed by Myra Snell, Mark & Kathy Snell, Charlie & Cynthia Snell, Mike Snell, Jeni (Snell) & Jason Boffey, Niki (Snell) & Bill Johnson, Valla Boffey, Natalie Boffey, Will Johnson, Lauren Boffey, Charlie Johnson, Chandler Johnson, Madison Snell, Adeline Snell, Jeff & Amy Sweat, Jenny & Damon Dowda, Logan Sweat, Abby Sweat, Maddie Dowda, Ethan Sweat, KK Dowda, Dougie Dowda, Sammy Sweat, Tommy Dowda & Mary Snell. The family will hold a small celebration of life gathering at a later date. In lieu of flowers or donations, please do something for yourself that makes you happy, he’d like that.

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