Gerald Leslie Snell Sr left this world peacefully and in the company of family on August 21, 2022 in Wichita, KS at the age of 89 years old.

Gerald was born on March 28, 1933 in Winfield, KS to Emile Snell Sr. and Irene Bus.  Gerald was the 2nd of 5 boys born to Emile and Irene.  Gerald grew up on a farm outside of Udall KS, where he spent much of his childhood helping his parents with farm duties and exploring the fields around the farm with his brothers and cousins.  It was during these childhood years that Gerald developed a lifelong love of sports and took advantage of every opportunity to play baseball or basketball with his brothers, cousins and friends.  Gerald graduated from Udall high school in 1951, where he played on the varsity basketball team.  After high school, Gerald served in the US Army.  During and after high school, Gerald played for an amateur baseball team that traveled to play in several exotic locations such as Wichita.

After marrying Cora Miller in 1958, Gerald lived for a few years in the Oklahoma City area before returning to the Wichita area where he lived for the remainder of his life.  Gerald had three children with Cora - two daughters Cheryl and Sharon, and one son Gerald Jr.  When Gerald returned to the Wichita area, he began a job at Cessna Aircraft, where he worked for 35 years as a sheet metal worker building small planes until retiring in 1998.  As an adult, Gerald was baptized at Grace United Methodist Church in Winfield, KS.  In 1987, Gerald married Dorothy Daniels.  Gerald and Dorothy were married for 25 years until her death in 2012.

Gerald loved to travel and visited several state and national parks.  He particularly loved the Ozarks region including Branson, MO where he visited multiple times.  Gerald was a big fan of classic country music, which was a source of peace to him up until the time of his death.  To say that Gerald was a sports fan, was an understatement; Gerald's two favorite times of the year were in March, when he religiously attended the Kansas State High School Basketball Tournament and in August, when he annually attended the National Baseball Congress World Series.  Even when his health began to fail, he was insistent on attending these annual events.  On game days, Gerald became one of the original multi-taskers, demonstrating the ability to watch two games on two different TVs while listening to another game on the radio.  Gerald was also a big lover of animals.  His pets were always an important part of his life, especially his beloved Angel, who was a loyal companion to him during his later years.

Gerald was preceded in death by his wife Dorothy and his older brother Eugene.  Gerald is survived by his three children, Cheryl Geren, Sharon Lyons and Gerald Snell Jr; 6 grandchildren Megan, Matthew, Quentin, Jordan, Brendan and Evan; and three brothers Melvin, Emile Jr and Rick Snell.  Gerald's life will be celebrated at a memorial service on Wednesday, August 31, 2022, 1:30pm at Old Mission Mortuary and Cemetery, 3424 E 21st St N, Wichita, KS.  A memorial has been established in Gerald's name at the KS Humane Society, 3313 N Hillside, Wichita, KS 67219, kshumane.org