Emily Snyder Reid

Emily Snyder Reid died March 18, at her home in Westsound. She was the first born of Ralph Snyder and Aimee Watters Snyder’s four children in Spokane on Oct. 7, 1919. She was raised on Hilltop Farm, a wheat ranch in Adams County.

She attended school in Washtucna for her first 12 years and graduated in 1938. She majored in botany at Whitman and was a Tri Delt. She continued her studies at Washington State in Pullman until 1942.

She had met Payton Reid while still in high school; he was the older brother of a schoolmate, who was living in Chicago. He was a long distance boyfriend when she accepted his marriage proposal in 1942.

Her best friend, Mary Sutton had the idea to commandeer their farmer father’s gas ration, and drive to San Francisco.

Emily and Payton were married at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco on Aug. 15, 1942. They spent a two day honeymoon and Pat was off on the aircraft carrier, Independence.

They saw each other once in the next three years. Payton was at sea for 18 months and given one weeks leave in Hawaii.

After the war they lived for a year in Seattle then moved to Portland where they raised their family.

She was an active and enthusiastic member of the Willamette Arrangers Guild, The Iris Society, The Audubon Society, the Cedar Hills Garden Club, and later she served on the board of the National Garden Club.

She was an accredited flower show judge, an officer in the Northwest Horticultural Society, and on the board of the Oregon State Fair. She was appointed by Governor Booth Gardner to the Washington State Council on Aging. She was also a Girl Scout leader and summer camp counselor.

Emily was a fierce and loyal mother who protected and supported the endeavors of all of her children throughout their lives.

After vacationing on Orcas for several years, Emily and Payton purchased their farm in Westsound in 1958. The Island was a focal point of family life, centered on boating and fishing. They retired and started their move to Orcas Island in 1976, where they had every intention of building a house.

After she was widowed in 1981, Emily lost interest in the project and was quite content in the early 1900s farmhouse.

She preferred spending her time out of doors, in her garden, the woods, and the beach. In her later years she loved giving visitors a tour of her farm in her golf cart. She planted over 200 trees over the years.

She was an active member of the Orcas community and garden club, and she especially enjoyed the musical events provided by Martin Lund, The Orcas Chamber music festival, and the Orcas Choral Society, The Band and of course, the school music recitals which she attended faithfully.

She is survived by her two sisters, Frances Snyder Ellis of Walla Walla and Stephanie Snyder Coon at The Bar U Ranch near Washtucna. Her three children, William (Karma) Reid, Christina (Bruce) Orchid and Michael (Jan) Reid. She leaves three grandchildren, Peter Lackaff, Amanda Reid Wadleigh and James Reid. Her great grandchildren, Sebastian Lackaff and Isaac Wadleigh. Also many nieces, nephews. She also leaves behind her special friends, Fred Lackaff, Barbara Ehrmantraut, Gwyneth Burrill, and John Robertson.

Memorial contributions can be made to the Orcas Community Foundation, Orcas Senior Services, or the Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival.

There will be a celebration for Emily on Saturday, April 1, at 1 p.m. at the Westsound Community Hall on Orcas Island.