Janesville – Owen Snyder, Jr., age 88, passed away on June 29, 2018 at SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital – Janesville.
He was born in Center Township, Footville, WI on November 11, 1929, the son of Owen and Viona (Wilkins) Snyder.
Holding down a full-time job at General Motors for 48 years didn't give Owen Jr. much time for pursuing his passion of racing, but he used a little sleight of hand and figured out a way to do both. Always taking Fridays off to go run his midget car all over Wisconsin, Owen Jr. was told by his bosses that he could no longer race and be the foreman at the GM plant because he'd come back in some Mondays looking like he lost a 12-round fight after a wild midget crash. So, the father of four did what any red-blooded American racer would have done – he used an alias. On the nights he was racing, Owen Jr. raced under the moniker of “Todd Barton”. Under either name he was a tough customer and won all kinds of features, as well as two Badger midget championships – one under Owen Snyder Jr. and the other under Todd Barton. After he retired from racing and GM, Owen Jr. went to work for his son, Owen III, on IndyCar teams – first with Rick Galles and Al Unser Jr. and then with Eddie Cheever and team. Owen Jr. ran the pit board for both Indy 500 wins in 1992 and 1998. “He was so proud of that Indy winning ring, he wore it every day,” said Owen III. The number of friends that Owen Jr. had in the IndyCar paddock was infinite. He never met a stranger and he always met people with a smile and a story.
“Eddie (Cheever) called all the time to check on dad the past couple weeks. At the latest IndyCar race at Elkhart Lake, A.J. (Foyt) asked where he was, and I told him he wasn't feeling well enough to come,” said Owen III. “A.J. told me he really enjoyed talking to dad and then he grabbed me and gave me hug and said he loved the old man. That's really all you need to know isn't it?” Owen Jr. was a 50+ year member of the Janesville Masonic Western Star Lodge #55, as well as a member of the Zor Shriners – Madison. He was an avid hunter and long-time skier. Owen Jr. is survived by his children, Owen III (Linda), Dana (Steve) Kinser, Todd (Elizabeth), and Joel (Shannon); his grandchildren, Stevie, Kraig, Christy, Steffi, Kurt, Caroline, Noah, Nathanael, and Sophia; his great grandchildren, Kash, Hailee, and Andrew; his first wife, Helen Whitehorse; and his sister, Julia (Richard) Meredith. Owen Jr. also leaves behind many close friends. Owen Jr. was preceded in death by his second wife, Phyllis (Bleisch) Snyder; his brother, Edwin (Ed) Snyder; and his nephew, Marshall Erdman. Funeral services will be held on Monday, July 9, 2018 at 1:30 p.m. at Newcomer-Silverthorn Chapel on the Hill, 3008 S. Coon Island Road, Orfordville, WI. Visitation will be held at the funeral home from 11:00 a.m. until the time of the service on Monday. A private burial will be in the Grove Cemetery, Footville, WI following the services.In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Owen Jr.'s name to INDYCAR Ministry (indycarministry.org/giving/) or to Indy 500 Oldtimers Club, make check payable to Indy 500 Oldtimers Club, 4967 W. 12th Street, Speedway, IN 46224.
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