ROANOKE TIMES 

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, April 27, 1993                   TAG: 9304270323
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG                                 LENGTH: Medium

OBIT SNIDOW, THE HONORABLE JOHN CHAPMAN JR.,

SNIDOW, the Honorable John Chapman Jr., 76, of Blacksburg, passed away, Monday, April 26, 1993, in Montgomery Regional Hospital. Judge Snidow was born on July 19, 1916, in Raleigh County, W.Va., and moved to the Ellett Valley of Montgomery County in 1929. He attended public schools in Montgomery County and attended VA Tech and Emory and Henry College. Judge Snidow graduated from Washington and Lee School of Law, with an L.L.B. degree in 1940, and opened his office for practice of criminal and civil law in Christiansburg, Va. He maintained his law practice in Christiansburg, except for time spent in the United States Army as an investigator for the Provost Marshall of the Third Service Command. In his practice, most of his time was spent in trial work in the state of Virginia as well as other states. When the General District Court System was established in the Commonwealth of Virginia, Judge Snidow was appointed the first full time General District Court Judge in the area and began serving in that capacity on July 1, 1974. His retirement from the bench was on December 31, 1986, was a bittersweet event for those who knew him well. Judge Snidow's efforts have been of great assistance in bringing the General District Courts of Virginia to the high quality of the systems and facilities enjoyed in our area. He originally held court in the American Legion Building, where there was little dignity for the court. Through his efforts and others, he was instrumental in seeing that the twenty-seventh Judicial District had enough personnel to handle its court docket. Judge Snidow handled the courts in Christiansburg, Blacksburg and Floyd County. Judge Snidow's court was selected as the "Pilot Court" for Community service. He was known for always being respectful to the public, police officers, court personnel and attorneys. Judge Snidow was preceded in death by his father and mother, John Chapman Snidow Sr., and Lillian Givens Snidow; a sister, Annie Snidow Grandy; and a grandson, Shawn S. Harkrader. The judge is survived by his wife, Marguerite Turner Snidow, and her two daughters, Leigh P. Thompson, and Deborah P. McKinney; a grandson, Dr. Shandon J. Thompson. He is also survived by two daughters, Jean Ruth Fletcher, and Jamie Lynn Harkrader; a grandson, Chap Harkrader; a sister, Betty Strauss. The funeral will be 11 a.m. Wednesday from Richardson-Horne Funeral Home Chapel in Christiansburg, conducted by the Rev. Richard H. Horne with burial in Roselawn Memorial Gardens. In lieu of flowers, the family request contributions be made to the American Heart Association, or the American Lung Association, care of Richardson-Horne Funeral Home, Inc., P.O. Drawer 825, Christiansburg, Va. 24073. The family will receive friends from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at the Richardson-Horne Funeral Home, Christiansburg. 


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