Murrysville woman followed her calling to help others
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Becky Snyder had a heart for ministry that was matched only by her boundless energy.
She helped found His Hand Extended Ministry (His HEM) and its companion thrift store in Washington Township. She ran the thrift store for 12 years as a way to fund the ministry, her husband, William H. Snyder II, said.
“Money from the thrift store would help people in the community — if someone needed help with bills or needed new tires or needed help with the rent,” he said. “When we had the store and the ministry, it was a lot of work.”
His HEM Thrift Store closed about two years ago, but the ministry is still active, he said.
“We just believed we were supposed to do this,” he said.
Rebecca L. “Becky” Snyder, 61, of Murrysville died Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2020, after a brief battle with cancer.
Born in Oakland, Calif., on Nov. 18, 1958, she was a daughter of Virgil Dickens and Jeanie Miller. She grew up in Hayward, Calif., and moved to Western Pennsylvania in 1993 with her husband.
The two opened the thrift store as a way to support the ministry. Mrs. Snyder ran the cash register, unloaded donated goods and dispensed assistance to people in need, her husband said.
“Her heart was always with helping people. Nobody felt judged by her,” said her sister Cindy Edwards. “Becky believed that, on this Earth, you hold all things loosely. If you needed to give something away, that was OK.”
The couple also opened SOZOs, a coffee house ministry in Export, where they held Bible studies, dinners and worship services.
Mrs. Snyder dealt with the stress of ministry by going to antique stores, yard sales and estate sales.
“Becky loved the thrill of the hunt … and would find that one piece that people overlooked,” Edwards said. “She enjoyed rescuing something old and putting it back to use. She could see when something had value.”
Mrs. Snyder wrote the bylaws for the ministry, guided its outreach and dealt with the board of directors, her husband said.
“She wasn’t a one-man show,” Edwards said.
Mrs. Snyder is survived by her husband of 29 years, William H. Snyder II; her children, Sarah Snyder and William H. Snyder III; and four sisters.
Services will be held at 1 p.m. Sunday at Bash-Nied-Jobe Funeral Home, 152 Abbe Place, Delmont. Interment will follow in Eastview Union Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Blackburn Center, 1011 Old Salem Road, Greensburg, Pa. 15601, or online at www.blackburn center.org.