Brian 'Gritty' Snider of Chester

Brian "Gritty" Snider, 51, of Chester, Illinois, passed away at 8:58 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 27, 2020 at Missouri Baptist Medical Center in St. Louis.

He was born to the late Sheridan "Duke" K. and Joyce A. (nee Miller) Snider on March 18, 1969 in Chester.

Gritty was a radio broadcaster for Donze Communications, where he was the voice of the Chester Yellow Jackets starting with the departure of Dick Roth in 1988, to January 2017. He was also on the CHS Hall of Fame Board.

Gritty was an avid sports fan and had been a basketball coach for St. John Lutheran School. He also established and managed activities for CHS Senior Survivor from 2001 to 2010 and worked on the CHS website for years.

He was a member of St. John Lutheran Church in Chester.

Queenie was Gritty's cat for more than 18 years. Queenie meant the world to Gritty. She was his best friend. She was his sidekick through a lot of the rough patches in life. After a bad day, Gritty would go lay by her side and listen to her purr because it was his reminder to keep pushing through. They were inseparable. Queenie meant the absolute world to Gritty and although he is not with us now, she will always have a special place in his heart.

Gritty is survived by an uncle, Jerry Miller; cousin Darrell (Alberta) Gill of Kansas; and special friends Shelley Cushman Scanlan of Chester and Kaylee Emmendorfer of Perryville, Missouri.

He was preceded in death by his parents.

A private funeral service will be held with the Rev. Timothy Sims officiating. A public visitation will be held from 9 to 11 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 1, at Pechacek Funeral Homes in Chester.

Interment will be held at St. John Lutheran Cemetery in Chester.

All guests at the public visitation are required to wear masks and practice social distancing. Under the Restore Illinois Phase 4 rules, the building can accommodate only 25 people at one time.

Memorials in Gritty's name should be directed to the Chester High School Athletic Fund.

To view this obituary and sign the register book, visit www.wpfh.net.