• A service of Christian burial will be held on Thursday July 17, 2025
• St. Matthew Lutheran Church, 8444 W. Melvina St., Milwaukee, WI 53222
• Visitation from 4:00-6:00 PM and service at 6:00 PM

Rev. Gordon Joel Snyder

Gordon Joel Snyder was born on September 7, 1934, to George and Frances Snyder in La Crosse, Wisconsin. He became a child of God through holy baptism shortly thereafter.

The family moved around the Midwest during Gordon’s elementary school years. When his high school years rolled around, they settled in Okauchee, WI, where he attended Oconomowoc High School. It was there that he met his future wife, Lila Rollefson.

On August 2, 1958, while he was at the Seminary, Gordon and Lila were married at Parkside Lutheran Church in Milwaukee. The Lord granted them 63 years of marriage and blessed them with six children: Mary (Mark) Albrecht, Timothy (Patricia), Rachel (Chris) Cordes, Christopher (Kristin), Lois (Mark) Buske, and Peter (Jenell), 22 grandchildren, and 30 great-grandchildren. He and Lila rejoiced to know that their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren are family in Christ as well as by blood.

Gordon wanted to be a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, so he attended and graduated from Northwestern College (WELS) in Watertown, WI in 1957 and Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary (WELS) in Mequon, WI in 1960. He received his first divine call, being assigned to St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in North Platte, NE. After three years in North Platte, he accepted a divine call to Nain Lutheran Church in West Allis, WI. He remained there for 45 years, at which point he retired from the full-time ministry. Gordon also served the church at large on various boards and commissions throughout his time in the ministry.

Though his health and body failed the last eight years of his life, he continued to share the Gospel and be a witness for Christ through kind words and actions to all he came in contact with at Franciscan Place, where he resided. Gordon’s ministry ended on July 11, 2025, at age 90, when he was called from this life to eternal life in heaven by his Savior Jesus Christ. “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on” (Revelation 14:13).

A service of Christian burial will be held on Thursday July 17, 2025 at St. Matthew Lutheran Church, 8444 W. Melvina St., Milwaukee, WI 53222. Visitation from 4:00-6:00 PM and service at 6:00 PM. Those wishing to donate a memorial in Gordon’s name are asked to give to St. Matthew Lutheran Church or Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, 11831 N Seminary Dr, Mequon, WI 53092.

www.heritagefuneral.com

Note: This obituary is the property of Heritage Funeral Homes and is published here with permission from the family. If you are viewing it on any website other than www.heritagefuneral.com, please be aware it has been copied without consent and may not reflect the most accurate or complete information.