'A purpose in our pain': Powell family creates golf foundation to honor son's legacy
As the Snyder family grappled with the sudden loss of their youngest son, two themes recurred.
They wanted him back, and they wanted to keep his legacy alive, a legacy that largely was formed in the final five years of his life.
“We weren’t sure what we were going to do, but I knew immediately that we had to put something together,” Jacci Snyder said.
A sincere condolence, one of more than the Powell residents can count, turned the tide as the family considered starting a foundation in honor of Jack Elton Snyder, an up-and-coming golfer at Olentangy Liberty who died by suicide March 11, 2021, at age 17.
“A former soccer coach of Jack suggested the name ‘JES and US,’ ” Jacci Snyder recalled, her voice quivering at times, of a name combining her son’s initials with the family’s deep religious beliefs. “He was convinced that Jack was the most beloved son ever, and he told me your JES and US will be there forever.”
Two years later, the Snyders’ mission is off to a promising start.
The Jack Elton Snyder Foundation has awarded 23 scholarships worth more than $143,000 to junior golfers across central Ohio, helping with tournament entry fees, lessons at The Golf Room in Dublin and, in general, defraying costs associated with the game.
“You have to play all the time to keep your game up,” said Sean Snyder, Jack’s father. “That’s what he did most of the time, played golf with his friends and girlfriend (former New Albany and current Illinois standout Anna Ritter).
“We definitely wanted to have the foundation (be) golf-based because the game meant so much to Jack.”
Perhaps best of all for the Snyders, they know other youths across central Ohio possess the same qualities and, in some measure, are carrying on Jack’s legacy — even if they never knew him.
Leaving his mark
The youngest of three children by several years — brother Chase is 24 and sister Kirstin Biever is 39 — Jack’s trademarks included what his mother called “big blue eyes and a big megawatt smile,” not to mention a mane of curly blond hair Jack insisted on wearing below his shoulders.
Haircuts, minimal as they were, came once per year until he adopted a shorter style entering high school.
Jack dabbled in basketball, cross country, flag football, lacrosse and soccer, but golf came to the forefront by seventh grade.
“He decided he was going to do middle school golf and he made the team, maybe as the second-to-last guy, but he was super excited,” Sean said. “From that time on, he just got better and better.”
Jack participated in several American Junior Golf Association and Central Ohio Golf Association tournaments, improving to the point that he participated in the U.S. Kids World Championships in July 2020 at Pinehurst in North Carolina. According to Sean, Jack shot 78 on the final day.
On the way home, he shot 70 in an AJGA qualifier in Ashland, Kentucky, to earn a spot in an upcoming tournament.
That fall at Liberty, Snyder earned first-team all-league.
Boys Golf: OCC divisional honors go down to wire
College golf seemed a distinct possibility, but regardless of whether that would come to fruition, Jack was impacting his classmates, friends and family in ways he might not have recognized. Proof came in the overflow crowd for his celebration of life, numbering more than 1,000, and the response for the scholarships. Faith, values and perseverance were prioritized.
“The goal was to find junior golfers who have those traits, are coachable and have the desire to go on and advance their game,” said Tracey Bricker, director of the JES & US Foundation. “We want the serious golfer, but we also want someone who has a balanced life and wants to spread joy.”
More: An amazing teammate and friend. RIP JSnydes. You will be missed.
‘A purpose in our pain’
Two recent scholarship recipients credited dramatic improvement in their games to lessons at The Golf Room, a 17,000-square foot facility in Dublin. Jack Snyder trained with founder Kyle Morris, who golfed at Olentangy and Seton Hall before a seven-year professional career.
“That was a very big opportunity,” Hilliard Darby junior Maddie Digel said. “It not only allowed me to grow in the game of golf but also with leadership development and spiritual growth. Golf is fun, but you’re playing for something bigger than yourself as well.”
Bella Mitchell, who is home-schooled but will golf at Canal Winchester as a freshman this fall, has dropped more than 30 shots and added almost 90 yards to her drive in the past year. She carded a lifetime-best 88 on June 20 during a U.S. Kids tournament at Little Turtle.
“We drive over an hour back and forth (from Canal Winchester to Dublin) because it’s such a tremendous opportunity,” said Bella’s mother, Janeisha. “She’s shooting 88 in eighth grade. Do you know what she’ll be doing by the time she’s a senior? What does that do for the trajectory of her life? That’s a really big deal.”
The foundation raises money from Liberty’s annual golf scramble among other events and will conduct its first standalone fundraising event Oct. 26 at The Golf Room. That is two days before Jack’s 20th birthday.
Biever, whose 7-year-old daughter, Sophia, takes lessons at The Golf Room, grew emotional at hearing Digal and Mitchell’s stories.
“Neither of them said it was just about golf,” Biever said. “Holistically, spiritually, every single aspect, that’s what we want to do. That’s our passion. We don’t know exactly where this is going to take us, but who knows what doors might open? We are just grateful. God continues to show us a purpose in our pain.”
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Powell family creates golf foundation to honor son's legacy
