Lewiston Morning Tribune - December 24, 1979
Orofino man's body found near crash site
OROFINO - The body of an Orofino man was found late Saturday night about 100 yards from where his four wheel drive vehicle ran into a ditch southwest of Weippe.
An autopsy performed Sunday showed that Rick Snyder, 33, died of exposure, but Clearwater County Sheriff Nick Albers said the matter is still under investigation.
A search for Snyder, who was employed by William Cummings Inc., an Orofino heavy equipment firm, began Saturday morning. He was reported missing late Friday night.
Albers said also that it did not appear that Snyder was injured in the wreck, but he had unspecified injuries when he was found.
Snyder was born at Orofino Dec. 4, 1946, the son of Fred and June Snyder. He graduated from Orofino High School in 1966 and worked for Weippe Auto Repair before joining the Army later that year. He served one year in Vietnam. He was discharged as a specialist fourth class in 1968.
Before joining the Cummings firm, Snyder worked for Potlatch Corp. and in Oregon.
He married the former Tammi Wells at Weippe Dec. 13, 1969.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by a daughter, Pam, two sons, Rick and Scott; his parents, a brother, Michael of Orofino, two sisters, Carol Crawford of Newberg, Ore., and Paula Lougee of Orofino; his paternal grandmother, Naomi Snyder of Orofino, and his maternal grandmother, Letha Lear of Puyallup, Wash.
The funeral will be at 10 a.m. Thursday at the Gilbert Chapel, Orofino. Burial will be at the Weseman Cemetery.
Transcribed by Jo Frederiksen