Terrence Jay Snowden

Terrence Jay Snowden passed away peacefully on May 24th, 2025 at the William S. Middleton Memorial Hospital Hospice Unit. His beloved children and grandchildren spent his last days with him. 

“Terry” was born July 24th, 1926 in Sheboygan, WI. He was the oldest of five children born to George and Eva (Nommensen) Snowden. He grew up in Fond du Lac, then Manitowoc, where he attended Lincoln High School. There he met his future wife of 73 years, Marie L. Schleis. In April, 1944, at age 17, Terry graduated early to enlist in the United States Navy. He was stationed in the Aleutian Islands as a Seabee until his service ended after the war. 

Terry and Marie were married in Manitowoc on September 26, 1948. Terry worked odd jobs while attending County Normal School, earning a 2-year teaching degree, which led to his first teaching job at a one-room school. The growing family moved to Oshkosh, where Terry earned his Bachelor’s Degree and taught sixth grade at the University Campus School. In 1959, the family moved to Elkhorn, where Terry taught and worked while completing his Master’s and PhD at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. In 1963, Terry, Marie, and their five children moved to Stevens Point, where he became Director of the Campus Lab School at the University of Wisconsin there. 

In 1966 Terry joined the Northern Nigeria Teacher Education Project, sponsored by the University of Wisconsin, the Ford Foundation, and USAID, to improve teacher-training in the burgeoning West African country. The family moved to Kaduna, Nigeria, in 1967. They returned to Stevens Point in 1969, where Terry became a Professor of Education at the University, and then Director of the Wisconsin Teacher Corps Project. The Project improved schools in Native American communities. 

In 1984, empty-nesters Terry and Marie moved to Spring Grove, MN, where they lived for 33 years. Terry enjoyed a prolific hobby-turned-career as a woodworker, making architectural trim and molding for clients across Southeast Minnesota, including the Mayo Clinic. He joined the Coulee Region Woodturners, and became a skilled artisan in his later years. Terry and Marie moved to Waunakee, WI in 2017, to be closer to their family in Madison as they entered their 90’s in good health. 

How do you sum up a vibrant life of almost 99 years? Though he had never fired a gun, he became a competitive Marksman in the Navy. He built two sailboats. He repaired, remodeled, and redecorated every house he lived in. He built wood shops in basements and backyards. He was an avid fisherman and golfer into his 80s. He was a private pilot. He grew up in poverty in the Great Depression, and used the GI Bill to build a better life than his parents had. He learned to use e-mail, the Internet, and Netflix. He conveyed a deep curiosity and love for learning to his many students, and everyone he touched.

Terry is predeceased by his parents; wife Marie (in 2020); sister, Florence Busse; and daughter-in-law, Robin (Jon) Snowden. He is survived by his brother Jim; sisters Eva Niquette and Alice Hartlaub; five children: Gail, Annette Canfield, Terese, Mark, and Jon; seven grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

Terry’s family would like to acknowledge with deep gratitude the attentive, loving care given to him by the wonderful caregivers from Right at Home in Waunakee; Mary Gallagher, Alexis Freitas, and Rich Yoshida. ‘Your care made all our lives better.’

Memorial service will be held at 11:00 am, Friday, June 20th, at the Cress Center, 6021 University Ave., Madison, WI, 53705. Followed by a luncheon for friends, family, and out-of-town guests.

Please share your memories of Terry by posting in his guestbook.

Cress Center

6021 University Ave. Madison

(608) 238-8406