Ogden shooting victim Steven Snider remembered as true friend, despite troubles
Flowers, candles and a bow were placed on the fence in memory of Steven Snider on Monday, Jan. 2, 2017 at 514 27th Street in Ogden. Snider, 37, who was shot and killed on December 30, 2016.
Flowers, candles and a bow were placed on the fence in memory of Steven Snider on Monday, Jan. 2, 2017 at 514 27th Street in Ogden. Snider, 37, who was shot and killed on December 30, 2016.
Flowers, candles and a bow were placed on the fence in memory of Steven Snider on Monday, Jan. 2, 2017 at 514 27th Street in Ogden. Snider, 37, who was shot and killed on December 30, 2016.
Flowers, candles and a bow were placed on the fence in memory of Steven Snider on Monday, Jan. 2, 2017 at 514 27th Street in Ogden. Snider, 37, who was shot and killed on December 30, 2016.
Flowers, candles and a bow were placed on the fence in memory of Steven Snider on Monday, Jan. 2, 2017 at 514 27th Street in Ogden. Snider, 37, who was shot and killed on December 30, 2016.
OGDEN — Steven Snider wasn’t a perfect man, but he was quick to forgive or make amends, and he enjoyed doing small things to show his friends he cared.
On Thursday, Dec. 29, Snider turned 37 years old. He was fatally shot the next day outside an apartment building on the 2700 block of Adams Avenue. Police say the shooting was a result of some kind of altercation. One suspect was arrested in connection to the incident.
Snider spent his birthday with his 10-month-old daughter and her mother, Randin Steed.
“He was the love of my life,” Steed said Monday through tears. The two knew each other about three years.
Snider was born in Wyoming but was adopted when he was 18 months old. He grew up with 11 siblings in Grantsville, according to his older brother Richard Snider.
“He had a great love for his brothers and sisters,” Richard Snider said. “He often followed his brothers around to always be included. He also was a protector of his sisters, especially Cathrine who was almost the same age.”
Before his adoption, Steven Snider experienced abuse and “as a result, fought demons of different types his whole life,” his brother said.
Steed said Snider struggled with addiction to drugs and alcohol, but the two talked on his birthday about steps he could take to work through his problems and turn his life around. He wanted to return to working on a hazardous materials crew — a job he previously held and loved, Steed said.
Photo supplied
Steve Snider, 37, was fatally shot Friday, Dec. 30, 2016, outside an apartment on 27th Street and Adams Avenue. Friends remembered him as a caring, creative person.
Snider took pride in his appearance, and Steed said she often poked a little bit of fun at Snider because he would change his outfit several times before leaving the house.
“He would take forever to get ready because he wanted to look good,” Steed said, recalling how he could sometimes take as long as an hour and a half to get ready.
Green was his favorite color, Steed said. He liked to sing her songs in a silly way just to see her laugh.
Other friends of Snider described him as the kind of person who wanted to make you laugh when you were having a bad day, a funny and creative man who liked to rap, camp, explore Utah’s abandoned mines for antique bottles and coins and cheer for the Jazz and the Utes.
Photo supplied
Steven Snider, 37, had a fun side despite the struggles he faced. Snider was fatally shot outside an apartment building Friday, Dec. 30, 2016, on 27th Street and Adams Avenue.
Phood Remo said the two became close friends three years ago, when Remo was going through a dark patch in his life. Although they had their differences from time to time, Snider was always someone who did more good for his friends than harm.
“He reminded me that through the dark, there is a light… when no one else would so much as spit on my fire to put it out… Steven came through, extinguisher blasting,” Remo wrote in a Facebook message to the Standard-Examiner.
Despite his struggles, Snider tried to maintain an interest his five kids’ lives, Steed said, and went shopping with them just hours before his death.
“His greatest joy has been his kids,” Richard Snider said.
The Ogden Police Department said Friday the city’s gang unit was called to help with the investigation, though details have not been released about what their involvement is. Steed said Snider didn’t have any affiliation to a gang. As of Monday night, it was unclear if the shooting was related to any kind of gang activity.
Friend Deja Hansen said Snider was loved more than he knew.
“He used to always say ‘I’m just some guy off the street, and I don’t matter anyways,’ but if he could just see now how he made a difference in so many people’s lives,” she said.
Other than his five children, Snider is survived by his 11 siblings, his parents and a grandmother.
There will be a viewing from 10-11:45 a.m. Friday, Jan. 6, and funeral services begin at noon Friday at the Grantsville West Stake Center, located at 115 E. Cherry St. Internment will be at the Grantsville Cemetery. Friends are invited to meet with Steven’s family at the viewing prior to the funeral services. Memorial services are provided by Didericksen Memorial.
Contact journalist Anne Christnovich at 801-625-4544 or email her at achristnovich@standard.net. Follow her on Facebook or Twitter at @Anne_C_1234.
