Date of Death: April 13, 2024

Service Details

Visitation will be held Friday, April 19, 2024 from 4:00-7:00 p.m. at Hohner Funeral Home, 1004 Arnold St., Three Rivers. A memorial service will be held Saturday, April 20, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. at First United Methodist Church, 215 N. Main St., with The Venerable Alan R. Crippen II officiating. He will be laid to rest in Riverside Cemetery.

Obituary Notice

Taylor Cook Snow, 85, of Three Rivers, passed away Saturday, April 13, 2024 at Centrica Rose Arbor Place in Kalamazoo surrounded by his loving family.

A former mayor, Citizen of the Year, and involved Three Rivers resident, Taylor was also a loving husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and friend.

He was born October 16, 1938 in Plainwell, the son of Shirley C. “Sox” and Nancy C. Snow, and graduated from Allegan High School with the Class of 1956. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in economics from Albion College in 1960 and completed post-secondary education related to finance, banking, and trust through several institutions including the Wharton School.

Starting at Old Kent Bank as a mortgage loan officer for five years, he worked the next five as a cashier at the First National Bank of Three Rivers. In 1972, he collaborated with a high school friend/banking colleague to develop the Bank of Commerce/National Bank of Detroit in Lansing. From the late 70’s to the mid-80’s he was employed by Armstrong Machine Works, establishing a new division – Armstrong-Hunt – in Milton, FL. and working in international sales upon his return to Three Rivers. The last dozen years of his career he spent at the First National Bank of Three Rivers, where he directed the Trust Department and retired as president in 2000.

Outside of work, his time was largely spent with family and close friends, of which he had many. He traveled regularly (with his wife Mary) to see his family and friends throughout the country. Taylor and Mary spent several winter months in Navarre Beach, FL every year after retiring, close to Matt and family, but also on the beautiful beach, taking way too many pictures of waves. Coincidently, Quy Tran, who lived with Taylor and Mary’s family in the early 1980s while learning English, also lives in NW Florida, which provided an opportunity for precious time together each year. He also enjoyed golfing with his friends, entertaining with Mary and a gin and tonic on the back porch. He was present for every band concert, basketball game, track meet, and school event of his children. Upon retirement, his activity centered around attending his grandchildren’s sporting and musical events. He was a regular at the Gull Lake High School cross-country events and attended as many baseball and basketball games as he could in Indianapolis and Florida where son Matt’s boys played.

Taylor loved music. Having played trumpet in high school, he was a huge Louis Armstrong fan and loved Dixieland and Big Band music. In his youth he was able to see many of his favorites perform (including Louis) and made music an important part of his whole life.

He provided an amazing example of service, making train trips to Chicago to visit a close friend’s very sick child, providing excellent and long-term care (with the help of Mary and his brother and sister) to his mother during her final years, and visiting and mentoring a friend whose life led him to be in prison. He cherished these relationships.

Taylor’s service within the community of Three Rivers and St. Joseph County included being a member of the Glen Oaks Board of Directors/Glen Oaks Foundation for 17 years, Carnegie Center for the Arts Board of Directors, Mayor of Three Rivers, Citizen of the Year (along with Mary), Three Rivers Rotary president and recipient of the Paul Harris Fellowship, Grand Ledge Band Booster President, Three Rivers Jaycees, Scidmore Park Board, Three Rivers Community Chest, and member of the Three Rivers Chamber of Commerce.

At home, he spent many, many hours maintaining a backyard that he and Mary enjoyed and shared with others. He could often be found fiddling with the skimmers of the pool or kicking the pump behind the garage.

He found a way to instill his love of being outdoors into his family and friends, organizing fishing trips to his favorite place, Lake Wabatongushi in northern Ontario. He was known to pull water skiers all day at Gun Lake, with his brother-in-law, Chuck, as his wingman.

Taylor made special memories in the great outdoors with each of his children. He loved his time on Fisher Lake with his son Chris and his family; he loved to fish with his son Matt on Navarre Beach, Florida where he declared he was a great fisherman, but not a great catcher. He camped and hiked with daughter Cathy in Zion National Park where he even hiked 2 miles up and 2 miles back on the famous Angel’s Landing Trail.

Remaining to cherish his memory are his daughter, Mary Catherine “Cathy” Speirs of Flagstaff, Ariz.; son, T. Christopher Snow and his wife Dawn (Sharkey) Snow of Battle Creek; son, Matthew Reed Snow and his wife Amy (Willis) Snow of Milton, FL.; “adopted” daughter, Quy Tran of Miramar Beach, FL; grandchildren, Taylor C. (Danielle) Snow, Benjamin J. (Savannah) Snow, Samuel W. Snow, Andrew G. “Drew” (Sarah) Snow, and Timothy R. Snow; great-grandchildren, Harper Mary Snow, Riley Olivia Snow, and Sailor Cherie Snow; brother, Thomas M. Snow and his wife Kathy (Forbes) Snow of East Jordan, MI; brother-in-law, Charles B. Pullen of Allegan, MI; sister-in-law, Patricia A. Reed of Three Rivers; many nieces and nephews who see him as a second father and great friend; and finally, his beloved Shih-Tzu, Ginger.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Mary Reed Snow; parents, Shirley Clifford “Sox” Snow and Nancy Elizabeth Cook Snow; sister, Linda Pullen; son-in-law, Eric J. Speirs; parents-in-law, Virginia and Fred R. Reed; brother-in-law, Fred Reed; sister-in-law, Nancy J. Mitchell.

Additional Information

Donations in Taylor’s memory may be directed to the Glen Oaks Foundation, the Three Rivers Rotary Club, or Holy Trinity Parish (Anglican). Envelopes will be available at the funeral home and the church.

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17 Comments

  1. I enjoyed the exchanges between myself and Taylor on Facebook. Another cousin I never met, yet I will miss him. If I had a question about the Cooks he usually knew the answer. Rod Cook and Linda Pullen were so helpful when I was writing the Kok Book, a genealogy of the Cook family. I hope one of those copies made it to Taylor. I look at his picture and see the Cook features. I loved my summers up at Allegan and miss my family but cherish those memories. Rest in eternal peace, sweet Cousin. ❤️
    Kerry Cook Trout
    (Daughter of Grover Cook, Nancy’s first cousin)

  2. To Cathy, Chris and Matt,
    So sorry for the loss of your father. I will always cherish my memories of the many times I was at your house in Three Rivers in my early years. The Detroit Tigers games too.
    God Bless.
    Patrick Armstrong

  3. I admired Tay from my first encounter in Allegan Mi. seventy years ago. He was one of only three cousins in my life and I have countless memories of Tay and Mary when we visited them at Gun Lake throughout my childhood. When my parents died and, later, when my sister Nancy died, Tay and Mary made the long trips to Charleston W.Va to honor the memory of their lives. I have never known a more compassionate, kind and supportive person of all that is good in this life. I will remember his persistent smile and love of ancestry. I will strive to remember the value of integrity he brought to every relationship he had with family, friends and anyone he met. I do not expect to see another person in my life that can exceed his character.

  4. So many thoughts of Taylor and Mary. The many visits, the stories, the laughter, will always be cherished. Mary was such an amazing person and pushed me to be the best that I could be. Taylor was incredible helping with the “ pie sales “ and organizing. My thoughts and prayers are with the family during this difficult time “ Death end a life; Not a relationship,” Morris Schwartz.

  5. Dear Cathy,Chris, Dawn Matt & Amy
    My heart goes out to you!! How fortunate we all were to know and love the Snows. We all have many wonderful memories of our times together. We miss Mary and will miss Taylor. We will always remember them and are grateful for all they did to make this a better world.

  6. Taylor was not just a classmate at Allegan High School, he was a GREAT friend who said Hi to everyone he met I will never forget the good times we had in school. RIP my friend until we meet again.

  7. Our family loved Taylor. A great man, with incredible integrity, respect, and humility. I was fortunate to have visited with him at the dog a few times in 2023. My sympathies to the family. Love Annette Bippus Curtis

  8. We met Taylor and Mary at Emerald Surf in Navarre, Florida. I enjoyed fishing with him on the beach. We all enjoyed Mary’s pies 🥧 when we would have our group get together. I know they are together now with the Lord in Heaven. He will be missed! Prayers for the family! God Bless

  9. Taylor and Mary (who was a life-long friend from second grade on) were close friends from Albion College days on. Both gave of themselves to their communities and to their friends and families. The world needs more people like Tay and Mary, and we are all diminished by their deaths. “Do not ask For whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.”

  10. My condolences to his family. I enjoyed my time working with Taylor at Armstrong-Hunt in Florida.

    I will never forget all of the assistance he gave my father, sister and myself after the death of my mother.

    He was a great guy – God Bless

  11. Cathy, Matt, Chris, and the rest of the Snow clan,

    It was my honor to know Taylor. We met at Eric & Cathy’s wedding, then again under unfortunate and trying circumstances (my brother Eric’s last days in the midst of the Pandemic). I appreciated his quiet strength and just how much he loved all of you.

    I will miss his Zoom cameos. But I see him and his legacy in all of you.

    Much love you all.
    Donald Speirs and Pam Kilcrease
    Saint Petersburg, FL

    • Dear Cathy, Chris and Matt,
      Your Dad was such a gentleman, a family man and did so much for the communities wherever he and Mary lived. My family heritage album has pages attesting to their accomplishments and honors. We moved back to Three Rivers in 2001 and became friends as well as Mary’s cousins.

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