Cynthia Strawn Snell

Cynthia Strawn “Cindy” Snell was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on the 5th of July 1943, to Kathryn Huffhines Strawn and Weldon L. Strawn, and passed away in Houston on Monday, the 23rd of May 2022. She was 78 years of age.

At the early age of three, she, her parents and only sibling, Ann Strawn Oliver, moved to Houston, which would become her lifelong home. She attended Pershing Middle School and graduated from Lamar High School in 1961. After spending her first two years at Texas Tech, she transferred to Southern Methodist University where she was a proud member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. At SMU she earned a BA degree in history which spurred her curiosity and love of travel.

She met her loving husband of 57 years, Richard Sharp Snell, while she was still at Lamar. They attended SMU together and she was honored to be selected as Sweetheart of Sigma Chi, Dick’s fraternity. Upon her graduation and after Dick’s completion of his first year at the University of Texas School of Law in Austin, they were wed on the 21st of August 1965. They resided in Austin for two years before returning to Houston and starting a family.

Her greatest love was for her family including Dick, their three children, Rick, Susan and Scott, their spouses and seven precious grandchildren who affectionately called her "Cici."

While she was busy raising her family, she still managed to be involved with community affairs. She was active in Covenant House Texas where she served as president of the Covenant House Texas Guild and was co-chair of the CHT gala. She became a docent at Bayou Bend of the Museum of Fine Arts Houston where she conducted tours for several years. In later years she served on the Bayou Bend Committee of the MFA. She was a member and volunteer for the Houston Junior Forum and a member of the KKG Alumni Association. She served with her husband as president of the Colony Dance Club. Cindy cherished her church, Second Baptist Church of Houston, and was a leader in Bible Study Fellowship for many years.

When her children left for college, Cindy pursued her passion of playing bridge with dear friends and traveling extensively with Dick. She enjoyed planning trips both for herself and her friends so much that she became an outside travel agent for American Express Travel for 15 years before joining Universal Travel Houston. Cindy and Dick especially treasured trips to Africa and Paris with friends and family.

Cindy is survived by her husband, Dick; her son, Richard Snell, Jr. and his wife Margaretta; her daughter, Susan Snell Heldebrand and her husband Michael; and her son, Scott Snell and his wife Sarah; her grandchildren, Trey and Ainsley Snell, Katie and Lauren Heldebrand, and Caroline, Sydney, and Hunter Snell; and several nieces and a nephew. She was predeceased by her parents and her sister, Ann Oliver.

The family is appreciative to the many doctors and nurses at Methodist Hospital and MD Anderson Cancer Center for their kind and gentle care. The family is especially grateful to Dr. Robert Wolff for his care and friendship with Cindy.

Friends are cordially invited to a visitation with the family from half-past five o'clock in the afternoon until seven o'clock in the evening on Monday, the 30th of May, in the parlor and grand foyer of Geo. H. Lewis & Sons, 1010 Bering Drive in Houston.

A memorial service and celebration of her life is to be conducted at one o'clock in the afternoon on Tuesday, the 31st of May, in the old sanctuary of Second Baptist Church, 6400 Woodway Drive in Houston.

Immediately following, all are invited to greet the family during a reception to be held in the nearby Deacons’ Parlor.

In lieu of customary remembrances, her family requests with gratitude that memorial contributions in Cindy’s name be directed to Second Baptist Church, 6400 Woodway Drive, Houston, TX, 77057; The Covenant House Texas at www.covenanthousetx.org/donate; and/or the AHMED Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research by mailing a check payable to MD Anderson c/o Dr. Robert Wolff at 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Unit 421, Houston, TX 77030.