John Snarr

John Hoit Snarr's life came to a peaceful conclusion on March 29th, 2023. His sister Janet Snarr Davidson was at his side, where she has always been, through the thick and thin of John's extraordinary life.

John was born August 3rd, 1960, at Harmon Air Force Base, Stephenville, Newfoundland, Canada. First-born child and son of Captain Gerald V. and Mrs. Janeanne H. Snarr. Unbeknownst to the new parents, there was a tiny mass of brain tissue, deep within the left hemisphere of John's brain that interrupted his brain circuitry. It would take 16 years and milestone advancements in radiology to fully reveal itself. Until then, it was noticed by all that John was different. This difference, of course, was not external. Physically, he was a very handsome, very normal looking boy--but it didn't take his new mother long to determine that something was not normal in the way John processed things. His kinetics were off. He was unusually slow at most cognitive tasks. It was difficult for him to manage emotions. His head ached.

After going stateside, John began attending Dr. Agi Plenk's pioneering "The Children's Center" at the University of Utah. As a toddler he began a medication regimen that was second-to-none. John's pills filled a fishing tackle-box and would be refilled on a weekly basis. John took meds, and lots of them. Medication helped slow down John's negative brain cycles. Without the pills, it was emotional and physical mayhem in the Snarr home. With two additional siblings in slightly over three years and two more after a brief pause, keeping John under control was always a formidable task for Janeanne, a busy mother of five.

Fortunately for Janeanne and John, Murray Public Schools had a Special Education classroom at Liberty Elementary where John could practice basic skills under the able leadership of Hylda Rasmussen. After five years at Liberty, John was mainstreamed into Karl Warlund's sixth grade class at Longview Elementary. John and Mr. Warlund became life-long friends. After Longview, John found a place in Mr. Bramble's Special Ed Resource Room at Riverview Jr. High School. John attended and was graduated from Murray High School, with the constant attention and assistance of many special teachers, friends, and tutors.

The summer before starting high school, John suffered a grand mal seizure. John's brain tumor was quickly mapped using the brand-new CT scanner at the University of Utah. The cancer was a first of its kind and removing all the cancer proved impossible. A disheartened surgeon gave John the possibility of living an additional year with successful radiation and chemotherapy. John lived for two more years, and his surprised surgeon decided to reoperate and aggressively remove the remaining cancer cells. John survived the surgery but with complete paralysis of his right side. The surgeon shrugged and prognosticated another year or two, at best, to live. To John, that meant overcoming his paralysis, which he did, mostly within the year.

Despite having little more than half a working brain, John learned to drive a car, operate a motorcycle, open a dozen bank accounts, umpteen safety-deposit boxes and at least a dozen P.O. boxes. He specialized in padlocks, combination locks, keys, lock-tumblers, and eventually, locksmithing. Although he did not read well, John was capable of savant-level memorization. He knew every name, number and street address in the South Cottonwood Stake phone directory and the greater part of the Murray City Phone Directory. He knew the make, model, and license plate of every car in the neighborhood. He knew the combination and or key numbers to any of the thousands of locks he possessed. He knew the entire extended Snarr and McClellan family trees.

John's uniquely capable brain was equally incapable of abstract thought. He could not think in relative terms. John took everything at face-value, including people. Because of this, he was often the victim in childhood games and adult business transactions. You could take advantage of John, but John could never take advantage of you. People were not "good" or "bad" in John's mind. People did good things and people did bad things. Once John perceived you as a friend, you were his friend for life--whether that friendship was intentional or not. He accepted people on his terms, regardless of their true feelings for him.

John had many friends in his Murray neighborhood. They were mostly adults who could be patient with him. Grant "The Pest" Putnam, Roy and Lucille Cannon, Marv and JoAnne Nelson, Mac and Ruby McMillan, Joe and Connie Ruben need be mentioned, in addition to Phillip K. Evans who intermittently employed John on his assembly line. Every Friday, at the end of his shift, John would say, "Phil, you can take this job and SHOVE it!" to which Phil would calmly reply, "See ya on Monday, John."

Enter Dorothy Lamour Tripp. John met Dorothy in a Christian Bible study group that had, more than likely accidentally, befriended him. Dorothy was as unusual as John, though not in the same way. She was out-of-place as a Baptist woman from Cincinnati, Ohio, who made her living as a court recorder in Salt Lake's Third District Court. John and Dorothy began their wedding festivities on September 18, 1993. The marriage puzzled all who knew them. Dorothy's quick response was simple: "I want a companion that will never cheat on me, and I know I will always be John's only girl." That much was certain. John and Dorothy were married for nearly twenty years before Dorothy's unexpected passing on February 5, 2013. Altogether, John and Dorothy had a house in Soda Springs, Idaho; a condo in Pocatello; and a small Organ Emporium/Locksmith Shop in Grace, Idaho. Dorothy came out of retirement to work as the Idaho Sixth District Court recorder on weekdays and church organist to several southern Idaho congregations on weekends. John and Dorothy laughed together. They enjoyed watching movies together. They appreciated each other's companionship, and they LOVED an all-you-can-eat buffet.

After Dorothy died, John returned home to live with his parents. By this time, years of aging and physical decline had caught up to John and his mom and dad. Life together, again, was temporary. John was eventually moved to Highland Cove Retirement Center where he lived for 10 years, before continued decline and intermittent hospitalizations saw him relocated to Sunridge Assisted Living and Holladay Healthcare for the remaining months of his life.

Near the end of his life, John lost his ability to swallow. The drink he missed most was Coca-Cola. We invite all who knew him to mindfully enjoy a Coke in John's memory.

There are far too many friends of John and caregivers to thank in any available space. Know this, that your kindness to him was noted by the angels in heaven and his loving family. John is survived by his mother, Janeanne H. Snarr, his siblings Janet (Howard) Davidson, Alan (Heidi) Snarr, Marta (John) Bechtol, Cati Snarr (Ray Jessen). His father Dr. Gerald V. Snarr preceded him in death.

A memorial service will be held on Tuesday, April 4, 2023 at 2:00 pm at Jenkins-Soffe Funeral Home located at 4760 South State Street, Murray, Utah. A visitation will be held prior to the memorial service from 1:00 – 1:45 pm. Interment at the Murray City Cemetery immediately following.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts can be made to The Children’s Center. https://childrenscenterutah.org/take-action/ways-to-give