William Adams Snadecki

William A. Snadecki
November 23, 1932-July 4, 2021

Sun Valley – William “Bill” Snadecki died peacefully at home surrounded by his children on July 4th at the age of 88. He was born in Bethlehem, PA to Clarence William Snadecki and Virginia Adams Snadecki. He attended Lehigh University where he participated in the ROTC program, played varsity lacrosse and was a member of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity. Upon graduating in 1954, Bill was hired by Alcoa Aluminum Company and immediately took a leave of absence to serve in the U.S. Air Force as a navigator on a B-47 for 3 years. Bill returned to Alcoa in 1957, where he held several key positions in the United States, Switzerland and Italy, eventually becoming President of Alcoa’s operations in Brazil. In 1986, he returned to Switzerland to become President and General Manager of Alcoa Europe. Bill made significant contributions during his 36 years with Alcoa and was grateful for the experience as it allowed him to work with wonderful people and travel the world.

After retiring in 1990, Bill moved to Old Lyme, CT where he enjoyed several years sailing his Palmer Johnson 36 "Brightside" and spending time with his growing family. From 1998-2001, Bill lived in Hilton Head, SC and then, in 2001, Bill moved to Sun Valley, Idaho. He wanted to live in the mountains again as they reminded him of his beloved Switzerland.

Bill quickly became a Sun Valley native and was embraced by all. He worked “on the mountain” for many years as a ski patrol and later as a greeter to all visitors…the perfect job for him! During the summers, he worked and played at the Sun Valley golf course. He gave back to the community through his involvement with the Presbyterian Church and Young Life, he served as a volunteer for the Wounded Warrior Project in Idaho, as well as mentoring business students in the art of sales and management.

Bill will be remembered as an outgoing and incredibly positive person who was a dreamer and always showed an interest in others. He loved travel, food, opera, flirting, building and designing boats, sailing, skiing, and golfing. He mostly loved his family and never missed the opportunity to tell his children and grandchildren how proud he was of them. Bill provided an incredible adventure for his family and will be sorely missed. He is survived by his four children: Douglas (Nancy) of Marblehead MA, Eric (Erin) of Beaufort SC, Jill of Pine Plains NY and Karen (Blake) of Valencia CA; also, by the mother to his four children and former spouse, Patricia Simmons (Allyn) of Bluffton SC. He leaves behind eight grandchildren: Haley (Nicholas), Andrew, Sara, Gregory, Bradley (Brianna), Molly, Emily and Cooper and one great-granddaughter, Everly.

A celebration of life memorial service will be held on Saturday, August 28th at 11:00am at the Presbyterian Church of the Big Wood in Sun Valley. A reception will follow in the fellowship hall for friends and family. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund at fallenheroesfund.org or Fisher House Foundation at fisherhouse.org.