Gerald Noval Snell

Peacefully on July 8, 2006, GERALD NORVAL SNELL departed this life after long illness at the age of 70.On May 4, 1936, Wilbert and Frances Snell of Howard County Maryland became parents of their seventh of eleven children. His name was Gerald. This child would grow and develop as one of God’s faithful servants, Gerald Norval Snell. His abundant life has produced overwhelming love and inspiration.He was educated in the Howard County Public School System and graduated from the Harriet Tubman High School-Agricultural Sciences Curriculum. He continued his studies in various academic disciplines which included Business Management and Theological Studies at the college level.Gerald accepted Christ as his personal Savior at the St. Stephens A.M.E. Church in Howard County Maryland, then under the pastorate of Rev. Frank Gray. There, you could find the young Gerald experiencing his early Christian development. As a young adult, he and his wife Lucille joined Bethany Baptist Church then under the leadership of Rev. Clinton Johnson. Gerald later joined First Apostolic Church under the pastorate of Bishop Winfield Showell, and was part of the church’s Youth Ministry. Some years later, he returned to St. Stephen A.M.E. Church. Gerald continued to faithfully serve in the body of Christ which included a Street Ministry that impacted many of Baltimore’s black youths in the Park Heights Community.Early in his adult life, he and the former Lucille Copeman were married, and became the proud parents of three sons, Shaun, Ray and Neil. His family was a source of pride and love to him all the days of his life. He constantly encouraged his sons to reach the highest pinnacles of education and achievement possible. Many of Gerald’s own personal traits and ambitions could readily be seen in each of them as they grew and matured. When you saw them, you saw “Gerald”. He brought his family to the Lord, and saw to it that they were grounded in deep Christian rooting.Gerald was a very fine athlete, and avid hunter, which he enjoyed with his brothers and nephews. He enjoyed many sports, and was highly competitive. This was not only with his sons…but also with his son’s friends! He cultured warm friendships and admiration for many of them. This was true also of those whom he encouraged and taught. He often considered them his –“extended sons”.Gerald’s love of sports was a true fulfillment in his life, and featured a long career in the old Sandlot Leagues for the Lelite Giants, whose home field was in Cedar Hill, MD. Yearly battles with the likes of the Johnson All-Stars, and Queenstown Wildcats, and the Parole All-Stars constantly fed his voracious competitive appetite. Gerald consistently won “Most-Stolen Bases” titles year-after-year with his blazing speed, and base –running savvy. He was also a consistent leader in “on-base percentage”. He later became Manager/player, then Manager for the Giants. He even later managed two of his sons in baseball. Gerald was a unique individual whose knowledge spanned a wide variety of disciplines. He was a communications “specialist”, often impacting even the common stranger he met in everyday life. His early occupations included gourmet seafood cooking, air-brake mechanical maintenance, and carpentry. His professional career developed initially as an Electrician’s Assistant, culminating into a promotion to Plant Electrician 1st Class. Gerald was so well respected that he was also elected Shop Stewart, then President of Local 12328 of the United Mine Workers of America. Serving in this capacity for a then-unprecedented 11 ½ years. He was cited numerous times for “Outstanding Service” nationally at United Mine Conventions in St. Louis, Louisville, Chicago, and Philadelphia, sharing the stage with many of the country’s top union leadership. His adept skills in communications and negotiations soon prompted Mineral Pigments to recruit him to upper management as General Plant Manager. The strategy being “if we cant’ beat him…let’s get him on our side.” Gerald had risen to manage millions of dollars in assets and productions in a major national chemical industry concern. After achieving record production levels repeatedly, Gerald was even cross-recruited by two rival pigment production companies. But, he remained loyal to Mineral Pigments. Gerald later retired from Mineral Pigments, and briefly entered the world of book publishing…and although having moderate success, he gravitated back to an early childhood passion-Carpentry, and Home Improvement Contracting. For many years, Gerald would blend his business acumen with his natural God-given talents of artistic creation. Throughout the Greater-Baltimore area, projects of his design were filled with uniqueness and beauty. Truly, this was a “gifted” man! Gerald’s health soon became and issue, however, and curtailed his working career, placing him on a long road of battles with kidney disease, and heart disease. As the recipient of a kidney transplant, his quality of life improved, and encouraged him to utilize all of those magnificent communication skills to continue to “help others”. He was a major contributor in the Park Heights Community Multi-Purpose Center for several years, and taught Carpentry and Home Improvement skills there. Gerald also utilized his formidable negotiations skills to champion patient services issues at the Bon Secours Hospital as a volunteer, as well as resident-related issues at his place of residence-Park Heights Place. His incite, counsel, and multi-faceted wisdom were substantial contributions to friend and community alike. And indeed, this “soldier for God” will be sorely “missed”.Gerald’s memory will forever be embedded in the hearts of the many whose lives he has touched, and he leaves to carry the Faith-his former wife-Lucille Snell-Alexander; his three son, Shaun, Ray and Neil; eight grandchildren, Bradley, Lauren, Matthew, Monae, Ray, Jr., Shannon, Shaunnell, and Hosley; five great grandchildren, Simone, Alexa Rae, Jalil, Kaleb, Madison; two brothers, Wilbert, Jr., Calvin; three sisters, Leanna Martin, Lillian Branford, Annie Snell; one brother-in-law, John Thomas Fields, Sr., one sister-in-law, Louise Snell, and one daughter-in-law, Kara Snell. He is preceded in death by four brothers, Francis, Arthur, Charles, Sherman, and one sister, Reverend Agnes Fields and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, extended family, and very dear friends.

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Gerald Noval Snell

May 4, 1936 - July 8, 2006