Diana Marie Snyder

Diana Marie Snyder was born on July 30, 1950, and died peacefully on December 10, 2025, after a nine-month struggle with declining health due to complications of a brain tumor. Diana was a sister, an aunt, a friend, an educator, and a mentor. She was a woman of intellect, wit, and words. Diana received her Bachelor of Arts and her Master's degrees from Case Western Reserve University. She went on to receive her PhD from the University of Illinois, where she taught Dance History for a number of years before returning to Cleveland. Although she enjoyed teaching at the university, Diana realized that her passion was to educate adolescents in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. She taught at Charles A. Mooney Middle School before getting her dream job teaching English and Creative Writing at the Cleveland School of the Arts. Diana, or Dr. Snyder as her students called her, was an exceptionally gifted educator who cared deeply for the young people she taught. Many of them saw her not only as a teacher but also as an inspiration and mentor. 

Diana's concern about others led her to be a political activist who proudly wore her hoodies depicting heroes such as Representative John Lewis and Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Diana was also an animal lover who dedicated a great deal of her time and resources to helping care for a cat colony, making sure the cats had food and shelter and participating in the trap-neuter-release program, although in truth, she either found homes for a number of those cats with friends and relatives or adopted them herself. 

Diana loved travel and adventure. She made a number of trips to Europe, but was equally excited about zip-lining here in Ohio. 

Diana had a gift for friendship. She remained very close with Peggy, her best friend from high school, although it is true that it was easier to maintain that friendship when Peggy married Diana's brother, Jim. Diana also had a close group of friends for over 55 years from CWRU, as well as the friendships she developed with her teaching colleagues and members of her book club and poetry group.

Diana will be especially missed by her family: her sister and brother-in-law, Lynna and Jim Metrisin, and her brother, Jim Snyder; nephews, Bennett (Laura Kinnaman) and Nate Snyder, and members of the extended Snyder and Bosso families. Her death reunites her with her parents, James and Yolanda (nee Bosso) Snyder and her sister-in-law and best friend Peggy Snyder. 

Her family would like to extend appreciation for the care Diana received from the neurosurgery and neurology teams at the Cleveland Clinic, the Cleveland Clinic Rehab Hospital in Avon, Faimont of Westlake Senior Living, and Cypress Hospice.

Donations in Diana's honor may be made to Stay-A-While Cat Shelter, the Animal Protective League, or Community West Foundation. 

During her post-retirement years, Diana focused on her writing. She was known in her poetry group for writing long and complex poems, but on occasion, she did write smaller gems of poetry, such as the poem entitled 

"On Balance"

We had a choice of air or earth      

of numb infinity or birth

We chose this being, blood and bone

Shout and silence, song and moan

Now sapped by sorrow, eared by pain

Dear Heart, we'd choose so yet again. 

A Celebration of Diana's life will be held on Saturday, December 27, 2025, from 12 Noon until 2 PM at Slone & Co. Life Celebration Center, 3556 West 130th Street, Cleveland, Ohio 44111. Inurnment Lakeview Cemetery.