John Grady (Skeeter) Sneed Jr., 80, of Rock Hill, S.C. and Cherokee, N.C. went to his heavenly home on Monday, Aug. 3, 2020. He was born July 23, 1940 at Cherokee Indian Hospital to the late John Grady Sneed Sr. and Rachel Blythe Sneed of the Wolftown Community. He was the grandson of the late Osco Daniel Sneed and Arvazene Rogers Sneed of the Birdtown Community and the late James and Mary Dormire Blythe of the Wolftown Community.
He attended Cherokee Elementary and Sylva Webster High School. He served honorably in the U.S. Air Force from 1958-62, where he was stationed in Texarkana, Ark. and Kotzebu, Alaska. He started his career in 1965 at Norfolk Southern Railway where he was stationed in Waynesville; Morganton; Birmingham, Ala.; and Rock Hill, S.C. where he retired after 30 years in 1995.
He loved playing golf and making golf clubs, restoring CB radios, and making his own bullets, and he later took up of the hobby of HAM radio operating where he was treasurer of the York County Amateur Radio Association in Rock Hill. He was an avid storyteller of stories from his youth growing up in Wolftown and of his time in the service. He never met a stranger. He would strike up conversations anywhere. He was very proud of his family and his tribe, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. He was a member of the Oakland Baptist Church in Rock Hill.
He was preceded in death by his son, John G. (Booster) Sneed III; son-in-law, Douglas Lambert; and great granddaughter, Maverick Harper Blythe Sampson.
He is survived by his wife of 48 years, Elaine Justice Sneed of the home; two daughters, Kimlyn Blythe Sneed Lambert of Cherokee and Jennifer Sneed (Ghi) Gavin of Charlotte; three grandchildren, John Daniel (Jessica) Hall of Dandridge, Tenn., Jordan Travis (Sasha) Sampson, and Jessica Rose (Josiah) Lambert of Cherokee; six great grandchildren, Travis, Rachel and Andre Hall, and Korbin, Kollin, and Hermione Sampson of Cherokee; three great great grandchildren, Noah and Bronson Hall of Cherokee, and Lydia Grace Leach of Dandridge, Tenn.; and many cousins including Sneed’s, Sanders’, Smith’s, Bradley’s, Blythe’s and others.
In memory of Mr. Sneed, donations may be made to Maverick’s Tsalagi Sunshine, PO Box 1912, Cherokee, NC 28719.
A graveside funeral service was conducted in Rock Hill, S.C. on Aug. 7 where he was laid to rest at Grandview Memorial Park.