Jason Snook

Jason Birk Snook was a loving husband, father and friend, who gave of himself to benefit others. Being both caring and entertaining, he used his construction skills to fix what needed repair and to build what everyone could enjoy. He was very much a people person and never had a bad word to say about anyone. Jason lived the Golden Rule: Do to others what you would want them to do to you.

Jason was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan to Emanuel and Sylvia “Sue” (Kaley) Snook on May 27, 1976. At that time, Michigan’s native son, Gerald R. Ford, was president and Americans were celebrating the bicentennial of U.S. independence. Commemorations included a journey of the American Freedom Train, traveling 25,388 miles across the 48 contiguous states, and citizens painting mailboxes and fire hydrants red, white, and blue. A wave of patriotism and nostalgia swept the nation, giving rise to a feeling that the troubled era of the Vietnam War and the Watergate constitutional crisis had finally come to an end.

Jason and his siblings—Gary, Deborah and Craig—were well cared for by their father’s business, Snook’s Greenhouse, and their mother’s work at Upjohn Pharmaceutical Company. Trailing eleven years behind Craig, Jason enjoyed the kind of attention that an only child often receives. He was his momma’s boy, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t tough. Jason played football and pond hockey during high school and acquired skills that continued into adulthood. In 2009, he was still playing in an adult hockey league at Wings Stadium in Kalamazoo.

During his high school years, Jason learned the art of clowning and used his talent to communicate stories and life lessons to audiences at his parents’ church, Chapman Memorial Nazarene. Like his dad, Jason’s love for music also made for a good time. He liked to have fun but never at someone else’s expense.

In his youth, Jason had worked at his dad’s greenhouse and even helped build it. But when he graduated from Vicksburg High School in 1994, he went to work at his mother’s company. Upjohn (later named Pharmacia before becoming Pfizer) sent Jason to school to become a Machine Repair Journeyman. He worked in that capacity for about 12 years and then got his builder’s license about a year ago. Jason was serious about a career, but that didn’t keep him from pursuing romantic interests.

Already in high school, Jason had met Michele Budrow, but they didn’t date at the time. It wasn’t until 1997, on Jason’s 21st birthday, that they began a relationship. Over the following three years, their love and commitment grew, and Jason and Michele were married on June 3, 2000.

Blessed with two wonderful children—daughter Morgan and son Avery—Jason thrilled at his role as father. He loved playing with his kids, getting down on the floor and wrestling with them. He was himself a “big kid” when it came to Halloween, his favorite holiday. The haunted house he set up in his garage was a huge hit in the neighborhood, and year by year, people stopped by to have fun and watch Jason having fun.

A good deal of Jason’s leisure time was spent outdoors. His boat and four-wheeler did a lot to satisfy his “need for speed.” On the more sedate side, Jason liked baseball, and he went to a few Tigers’ games in Detroit. The team was on track to win its division when Jason passed away suddenly on Sunday, October 4, 2009.

Jason lived life to the fullest, enjoying every moment spent with his family and friends. They will miss him deeply and remember him lovingly.

Jason Birk Snook, age 33, is survived by his wife, Michele; two children: Morgan and Avery; mother, Sue Snook, of Vicksburg; father and mother-in-law: Jim and Suzanne Budrow, of Kalamazoo; siblings: Gary (Debbie) Snook, of Portage; Deb (Jeff) Tuesley, of Portage; Craig (Tracie) Snook, of Schoolcraft; and numerous nieces, nephews, aunts and uncles. He was preceded in death by his father Emanuel in 2007. Learn more about Jason, view his Life Story film, and visit with his family and friends, and share light refreshments, Thursday from 4 to 7 PM at the Life Story Funeral Home, 409 S. Main, Vicksburg (269-649-1697). A funeral service will be held on Friday at 1 PM at the Chapman Memorial Nazarene, 7520 East U Ave, Vicksburg, MI. Please visit Jason’s memory page at www.lifestorynet.com, where you may archive a favorite memory or photo, sign his memory book online before coming to the funeral home or make a memorial donation to an education fund being setup for Jason’s children thru 5/3 Bank c/o Michele Snook at 4109 Portage Road.