Richard William Snyder

Richard Wiliam Snyder, 80, of Lahaina, Maui passed away peacefully on November 21, 2023 at Maui Memorial Medical Center. Richard was many things to many people. First and foremost, he was a loving father to his children and took great pride in his role as their foremost dive/surf/paddling instructor, soccer dad, and family photographer. He was equally devoted (some would say a bit more) to his adopted family members, including a multitude of Labrador retrievers, cats, lovebirds, rabbits and at least one tortoise. As evidence, his Christmas cards were signed “The Snyder Zoo.” Richard also appreciated beauty in all things, including art, nature, and above all, women. His succession of three gorgeous wives (beautiful inside and out) are testament to this. However, in later years, Richard preferred his “low maintenance” life of bachelorhood.

If you are a Lahaina resident, you will remember Richard as a restaurant man. He was the manager for many west Maui icons, including Nick’s Fish Market Restaurant (Front St.), Kapalua Bay Club Restaurant, Kaanapali Beach Club (a.k.a. Antone’s), The Peacock Restaurant (Kaanapali), and Sam’s Beachside Grill (505 Front St.).

Richard was a waterman, as comfortable 50 feet below spearing fish, as he was sliding down a wave at Honolua Bay. He grew up learning to surf in the frigid waters off Staten Island, New York, where he was raised, along with his younger brother, Robert, by loving parents Thelma and William Snyder. The call of year-round surf in Hawaii resulted in Richard transferring from Hofstra University in N.Y. to the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree, while also taking up big wave surfing under the gracious tutelage of the Aikau family and many other surfing legends of the sixties.

What many may not know, is that his nickname “the Gorilla” stemmed from Richard’s prowess as a competitive wrestler in college, placing as Champion in the Mid-Atlantic Wrestling Conference in 1963, State of Hawaii A.A.U. Freestyle and Greco-Roman Champion four years in a row, and culminating with fourth place overall in the 1967 Pan-American Games. Richard shared his love of the sport as wrestling coach at Kamehameha School while attending UH, and later at Lahainaluna High School.

When Richard left for better waves beyond, he left many in his wake, including his son Kirk, his daughter Kimberly, stepchildren David and Shelley, and grandchildren Kate, Storey, and Sydney. Richard was preceded in death by his parents, his brother, and his second wife. Because of his preference for privacy, a family-only memorial service will be held at Richard’s favorite dive spot (which we swore would never be revealed) at a later date. Memorial contributions may be made to the Maui Humane Society. If he could, Richard would have adopted every stray on Maui.