James Allen Snider

James Allen Snider April 4, 1935 - November 19, 2011. Resident of Pleasant Hill, CA. Jim was born in Norfolk, VA on April 4, 1935 the son of Lawrence and Vera Snider. With his father a merchant seaman and later a naval officer, he lived in Brooklyn, NY, Port Arthur TX, and Norfolk again before moving to Richmond, CA in 1947, when his father was discharged from the US Navy. The family relocated to Concord, CA two years later, and Jim graduated from Mt Diablo High School and East Contra Costa Junior College (later DVC) where he was one of two pitchers who took the baseball team to its first league championship in 1955, its last until 1989. Jim was very proud of getting his BA in Management from St. Mary's in 1989. Living in Concord in 1958, he was approached by a neighbor boy on an American Legion sponsored baseball team with no coach. This began over 50 years of coaching summer and high school baseball. His Legion team won the district championship from 1960-64, beginning a string of successes, including taking his 1986 team to the Sr. Babe Ruth World Series. He was forever known as "Coach," even to people who didn't know why. He met his future wife, Sigrid Woodson while at ECCJC, and they raised two children, Eric Snider and Christine Lindow (David). Summers were dominated by baseball for so long that several short trips within the US were all Jim and Sigrid had until a trip to England, Scotland and France when Eric was in the Air Force in 1990, and lured his dad onto a plane with the promise of the British Open at St Andrews. Jim was always grumpy, but it became an official title with the birth of his first Grandchild, Steve Lindow in 1993. Steve's sister Karen arrived three years later, and he was "Grumpy" to both, as well as many others who agreed it was appropriate. Jim's "day job" was as a Safety Engineer with several insurance companies for a total of 37 years. He retired from the California Casualty Mgt. Company in 1998 after 18 years as Manager of Loss Control and Audit. Later Jim and Sigrid took five trips to Europe (2005-9) before he was grounded by cancer. After fighting the disease for most of 2011, he succumbed on November 19. Generations of men remember "Coach" and his effect on their formative teen years. Golfers remember him playing in countless charity tournaments, and running the cart barn at Diablo Country Club Sunday mornings for nine years. To most of them and those outside of baseball or golf he was known for an extremely dry sense of humor. A celebration of Jim's life will be held at the Performing Arts Theater on the campus of Diablo Valley College at 6:30 PM, Wednesday January 11. Contributions to Hospice of the East Bay may be made in lieu of flowers.