Magnolia firefighter John Snook passed away the afternoon of Oct. 18 after suffering from a heart attack on Saturday, Oct. 16.

According to volunteer firefighter Rich Sanguedolce, around 4:30 p.m. his wife, Betsy Snook, found him at home in his chair unresponsive and called paramedics. She began CPR until medics arrived on the scene. Once medics were able to begin CPR it took 45 minutes before they were able to get a pulse. Snook was taken to Tomball Regional Hospital where he remained until the afternoon of Oct. 18.

Snook had been a member of the Magnolia Fire Department since 1990. He was initially a volunteer then was promoted to lieutenant, and eventually was a member of the Board for Emergency Service District (ESD) 10 for the past decade.

Sanguedolce said they do not use the term “work” when they speak about the duty they perform.

“It’s more like a big family. He (Snook) had it in his head to service the community,” said Sanguedolce.

Snook had earned the Medal of Valor for assisting in a rescue and was a Lifetime Member of the Magnolia Volunteer Fire Department. Sanguedolce describes lifetime membership as an award given by the department, meaning Snook had gone “above and beyond.”

Snook also worked for the Harris County Sheriff’s Department for more than 42 years, retiring last year.

Snook leaves behind two daughters, Donna and Dana, and a son, John Jr.

Funeral services were held Oct. 22 at 10 a.m. at Tomball Assembly of God and Magnolia Memorial Gardens.

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed