Dolores Ann Snyder Smith, 84, of Winchester died February 16, 2022 at the Blue Ridge Hospice Inpatient Care Center. Dolores was born on November 27, 1937 in Martinsburg, West Virginia, the daughter of Edward L. Snyder and Elsie Unger Snyder.

She was a member of the Martinsburg High School, Class of 1955 and graduated eighth in her class. She won a one-year scholarship to Strayer College, where she studied to be a secretary, by earning the highest score on an academic test which was given in the three counties of the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. Ironically and while at Strayer, she graded these same three-county academic tests for the students hoping to earn the following year’s scholarship.

After completing her studies at Strayer, Dolores returned to Martinsburg and worked as the secretary to the president of the Thieblot Aircraft Company from 1956 until the business closed in late 1957. In early 1958, she took a job with a law firm in Washington, D.C., which specialized in FCC licensing and where she stayed until the spring of 1959 when she married Gerald F. Smith and relocated to Winchester.

Dolores next worked for a number of Winchester attorneys including Fred Larrick, Joseph Massey, George Snarr and Thomas Monahan. Much of her work was in real estate law including assisting with the acquisitions of properties for the construction of the divided lanes of Route 50 East and for I-81 in Frederick County.

In 1972-73 Dolores studied stenography at Hagerstown Business College and then worked part time as a court reporter for several years. In 1973 she became the office manager for Winchester Rendering Company, Inc. and Valley Proteins, Inc. where she remained until 1982. Dolores was also a bookkeeper for Bells Fine Clothing in 1982-83.

In 1982 and after divorcing, Dolores began investing in rental apartments and eventually formed DSS Enterprises, L.C. which continued until she sold its remaining apartments in April 2021. She found it especially fulfilling to be self-employed and managing her properties. Dolores also enjoyed interfacing with her many tenants.

Dolores was a certified Red Cross swimming instructor and enjoyed taking ballroom dancing lessons. She also enjoyed genealogy and over many years traced the Snyder and Wasson family histories back over two centuries to Germany and Switzerland.

From 1990 to 2007, Dolores resided at The Summit at Lake Holiday where her home was surrounded on three sides by the Lake. Her greatest joy was spending time with her family and always enjoyed entertaining her entire family during the summertime holidays. She also enjoyed serving on the board of the community’s homeowners association.

Dolores enjoyed traveling which included trips to Alaska, Australia, Austria, the Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada, England, Germany, Greece, Hawaii, Italy, Israel, Monaco, New Zealand, Scotland, Switzerland and Tahiti.

As a child Dolores was an active member of the Second Southern Baptist Church of Martinsburg and, as an adult, she was a member of Calvary Baptist Church in Winchester for over 60 years and chaired its Property and Space Committee during the Church’s renovation.

She is survived by her sons, Gerald F. (J.J.) Smith, Jr. and his wife, Kaye, of Winchester and Michael A. Smith and his wife, Wendy, of Middleburg, Virginia.  She is also survived by her grandchildren, Evan A. Smith and wife, Lea, of Greenville, South Carolina; Emily N. Smith of Brooklyn, New York and Victoria K. Smith, Mitchell A. Smith and Elise D. Smith of Winchester; she is also survived by her brother, Edward L. Snyder, Jr. of Winchester and her sisters, Shirley Butler and husband, Harold, of Bunker Hill, West Virginia, Carolyn Woodward and husband, Jimmy, of Martinsburg, West Virginia and Barbara Wood and husband, Jim, of Gerrardstown, West Virginia; step grandchildren,  Tony Peccatiello, Chelsea Peccatiello and Ashley Ring and husband, Jake.  She also leaves seven nieces and nephews.

She was predeceased by her parents and by her sister-in-law, Joy Snyder, and two nephews, T Kirk Grubb and Edward L. Snyder, Ill.

The family will receive friends at the Amherst Street Chapel of Omps Funeral Home on Friday, February 25, 2022 from 6pm to 8pm. Her funeral will be on Saturday, February 26, 2022 at 10am at the funeral home which will be officiated by her nephew, Rev. Chris Butler. Burial will follow at Rosedale Cemetery in Martinsburg, West Virginia.

Pallbearers will be Harold Butler, Jr., Scott Marple, Thomas Royston, William Royston, Evan Smith and Mitchell Smith.  David Snyder will be the honorary pallbearer.

Dolores wished to remain in her home as long as possible and did so until the final five days of her life. Her family wishes to thank her team of loving caregivers who made this possible — Antonia Aikens, Dewanda Dixison, Elana Gentry, Jessica Harris, Rose Holtsclaw, Monique Lassiter, Laura Mead, Tracy Pinion, Tina Saunders, Heidi Singhas and Andrea Virgo.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be contributed to:  CCAP, 112 S. Kent St, Winchester, VA 22601; Blue Ridge Hospice, 333 W. Cork St, Suite 405, Winchester, VA 22601 or Shepherd University Foundation – Dolores Snyder Smith Scholarship, P.O. Box 5000, Shepherdstown, WV  25443.

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