A Fond Farewell to “Chris of All Trades”

Let us first honor our Chris by acknowledging that in life, he vociferously protected his privacy, would absolutely forbid this page being published, and would have choice words for all of us gawking at him like this. But he is now blessedly free of such mortal concerns.

Christopher David Snyder was born to Kerala and Richard Snyder on February 11, 1961 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and remained a loyal Wolverines fan till the end. Chris passed away suddenly after a heart attack at his cabin in the Adirondack Mountains in November 2023.

Chris grew up in New Haven, Connecticut, where he attended the Hammonasset School and the High School in the Community. He completed his Bachelor of Science degree in aviation cum laude at the Ohio State University. He then served as a flight instructor at OSU and co-authored a textbook on piloting and won the Flight Instructor of the Year award two years in a row.

Chris was extremely skilled with all things mechanical, electrical, and construction related. When he established his LLC, he named it “Coatco,” which stood for Chris of All Trades Company. In addition to many other personal and professional projects, he built his off-the-grid Adirondack cabin entirely “with his own hands and back,” as he put it.

Chris was also a gourmet cook. He got his start at home with a box of Duncan Hines cake mix and honed his skills at several New Haven establishments including Archie Moore’s and Malone’s. In a later venture, he experimented with converting Archie Moore's used cooking oil into biodiesel fuel, which he used for his several reconditioned Mercedes Benzes. Sometimes when you drove behind him, you would find yourself craving chicken wings.

During the mid-70s, Chris began working as a roadie with local New Haven bands such as Napi Browne. He went on to work with the James Montgomery Blues Band and eventually toured the world with such acts as Rick Derringer, Cyndi Lauper, Edgar Winter, Ted Nugent, and Patty Smyth.

Chris loved being on the road and was planning to spend the winter of 2024 in Panama and then head to Montenegro in hopes of establishing residency in Europe. He had an ambition to downsize to only what would fit in his Mercedes Sprinter.

When it came to dogs, Chris was a big old softie; he was a first-class doggie-dad to Pedro, Pokey, Goober, and Sweet Pea.

Chris is preceded in death by his father, Richard, and his dear friend, James Velvet Wimsatt. He is survived by his mother, Kerala; his wife, Carol Braden; his sisters, Nancy Lee Sayre and Sara Louise Snyder; and his “other mother,” Jerline Evans. He is sorely missed.

As untimely and unexpected as his death was, Chris would be very satisfied to know that he had succeeded in escaping the 2024 election. 

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