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In Memory Alumni

Mark Snitzer - Class Of 1964

Mark Snitzer was one of a kind. He came to Jacksonville in 1976 from Buffalo, NY, where there are only 2 seasons, winter, and the 4th of July. He came from a large and loving family…his parents David (z’l) and Ruth (z’l), his brothers Alan (z’l), Steve, and Howard, his beloved Tante, Thelma Zafron (z’l)…and so many aunts, uncles, and cousins. He was married to his wonderful wife Susan Snitzer for 26 years and was the proud father of Julee Levine (Jason), Michelle Rhodes (Digger Thompson) and Jeffrey Snitzer. He was the adoring grandfather of Connor and Adalynn; they were truly the lights in his life.

Mark had a tremendous love for life, specifically golf, the theatre, and any opportunity to be in front of a crowd of any size. He loved connecting people and connecting with people, had a joke or a story for absolutely every situation, and if not a story, then a song. Mark was well known within many circles in his 45 years in Jacksonville …through insurance, The Temple, the JCA, the theatre community, the Chamber of Commerce, The Jacksonville Jewish Center, and at his home away from home, Deercreek Country Club. He was a sports fanatic, and was often found watching, yelling at, or dozing through his favorite teams…the Florida Gators, the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Buffalo Bills, and the Buffalo Sabres. He was a creature of habit, but once he decided he liked a restaurant, he became their own personal unpaid PR person. He had a favorite server everywhere and was often greeted like family in so many local establishments. In recent years, he became fond of dealing blackjack at special events, and could also be seen as a featured musical performer at local charitable events. Mark also took special joy in singing at the weddings of so many of his friend’s children. Never has Ave Maria been sung so beautifully in so many churches by a Jewish man.

He was seen on the stages of the Northeast Florida Conservatory, Theatre Jacksonville, Players-by-the-Sea, Orange Park Community Theatre and Shakespeare in the Park. He had played many a Shakespearean father, both fathers in The Fantasticks, and such memorable characters as Fagan (Oliver), Ali Hakim (Oklahoma), Tevye (Fiddler on the Roof), and Horace Vandergelder (Hello Dolly!). One of his proudest moments was receiving Jacksonville’s version of a Tony Award for his performance of Moonface Martin in Anything Goes.

Mark was a career blood donor, donating over 46 gallons in his lifetime, a practice he learned from his beloved father David. Mark was an organ and tissue donor as well, and his posthumous donations will hopefully help many people to regain a full quality of life.

Tributes in Mark’s memory can be made to the Gefen Choir and Music Fund at Temple Ahavath Chesed and by donating blood through OneBlood.

The world is a little quieter today without his gentle yet booming voice carrying through so many spaces. The golf course is a little emptier. Raise a glass in his honor, tell an off-color joke, eat a cinnamon raisin bagel, and hug someone you love a little tighter.

https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/jacksonville-fl/mark-snitzer-10178039