Darrell "Cinders" Snyder

Darrell “Cinders” Snyder, a beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, coach, educator, and community icon, passed away peacefully on Sunday, April 13, 2025, at Golden Oaks in Follansbee, WV. He was 90 years old.

Born in Weirton, on February 2, 1935, Cinders was a son of Darrell and Ruth Johnson Snyder.

He was a 1954 graduate of Weir High School, where he stood out as an exceptional student-athlete. He was named All-State in both football and baseball in his senior year. He also was president of the senior class.

Darrell received a football scholarship to attend Shepherd College, now Shepherd University, in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. As a senior, in 1958, he was named Shepherd College’s Athlete of the Year.

In 1960, Cinders answered the call to serve his country by enlisting in the United States Army. He served as a medic, while also being asked to participate on the base football team in Germany.

Following his military service, he embarked on a distinguished career in education and athletics in the Northern Virginia area. His first ten years were spent as a history teacher and serving as the Athletic Director at Flint Hill Preparatory School (1965-1974), where he also was the varsity football, basketball and baseball coach.

In 1974, Darrell moved to Bishop O’Connell High School in Arlington, Virginia, where his leadership and passion left an indelible mark. As head football coach, head golf coach, and Athletic Director, he won numerous championships and garnered several accolades. The most noteworthy were:

1992 – Better Sports Club of Arlington Sportsman of the Year

1995 – Better Sports Club of Arlington Coach of the Year

2004 – Bishop O’Connell Hall of Fame (Football Coach)

2010 – Better Sports Club of Arlington Hall of Fame

2011 – Bishop O’Connell Hall of Fame (Athletic Director)

Darrell “Cinders” Snyder will be remembered for his unwavering dedication to youth, sports, and service as well as his fierce love for his family and his beloved dogs. His legacy lives on in the countless lives he touched, both on and off the field.

Some of his former players and colleagues have remembered him over the years in various speeches by saying:

“He was a good coach because he was a good man first. That has been my lasting impression of him.”

“He was one of the most beloved coaches in O’Connell history. All the players, including myself, wanted to win for Darrell. We admired him, respected him, and even felt somewhat protective of him. After all, how could such a little guy have such a big heart?”

“He was such a gracious man, full of character, whether we won or lost that day.”

“He didn’t even have to say anything for you to know all the great things he carried inside.”

“I loved him very much, and while I have rarely, if ever, seen him again after I graduated, the things he meant to me and to our school has never left me.”

“The name – Darrell Snyder- has become synonymous with words such as integrity, class, character, loyalty and dedication…Words to live by …and if anybody has, Darrell has. He has been a tremendous inspiration and example to all of us – students, athletes and coaches alike- on how to do things the right way.”

In addition to his parents, Cinders was preceded in death by his brother Don Snyder.

Left to cherish his memory are his wife Barbara Kum Snyder of Weirton, his son Darrell L. (Rebecca) Snyder of Chambersburg, PA., grandsons Elijah and Ari Snyder, brother David “Duke” (Barbara) Snyder, sister-in-law Ethel Snyder, brother-in-law Larry Kum, and close nephews and nieces Dukie Snyder, Cindy Anselene, Debi Snyder, Terri Min and their families.

Darrell’s request for cremation, as well as for no funeral services, has been honored.

He was cremated at the Greco-Hertnick Funeral Home Crematory, 3219 Main Street, Weirton.

Darrell will be inurned at Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens, Weirton.

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