By Tom Oncken
As you may recall from our January 2019 issue of Texas Chapter News, I notified our members of the passing of Albert Snell of Jasper, Texas in November 2018. At that time, Albert’s twin brother, John, remained under the care of Magnolia Manor Nursing Home in Port Arthur as a result of a bad reaction that he had suffered due to bypass surgery sometime earlier. Now, it is with great sorrow that I must notify all of you that John Snell passed away on April 28, 2019 and he has been reunited with his brother in the Jasper City Cemetery in Jasper, TX.
John was born on November 17, 1932 and was a graduate of Jasper High School. He enlisted in the United States Army in 1953, and retired as a Master Sergeant. Then he continued to serve our country for another 20 years while in the U. S. Army Reserve. John later retired from the Texaco Refinery in Port Arthur after 35 years of employment where he had held a supervisory position.
John and his brother, Albert, shared a true passion for outboard racing. When I joined AOMCI and our Texas Chapter in 1989, the “Snell Brothers” were the experts regarding vintage outboard racing. Their special love of all vintage Mercury racing engines made them the guys to go to if you had any questions about the old Mercury outboards. I must admit that John and his brother are responsible for infecting me and my son with the Mercury racing bug. As a result of their influence, this “OMC” and “Indian” guy owns several vintage Mercury outboard motors including a Mark 20H, Mark 40H, and a “Super 10” Hurricane Cruiser. Their influence on my son has led to a small collection of Mercury outboards in his home including a NOS Merc 25SS and a pair of Mark 30H race motors. A colleague of the Snell Brothers and long time Texas Chapter member, Ron Carbaugh, was very instrumental in our obtaining many of those outboard motors over the years. Thanks, Ron!
I must admit to this date, that if you show me a handful of photos of John and Albert, I would not be able to point out which one was John and which was Albert. Unfortunately, that is my personal loss. Perhaps if I could have spent additional time with both of these true southern gentlemen, I may have developed the skill to identify one from the other. Regardless, the Texas Chapter has lost some very valuable members over this past year, and I hope we always remember our Texas Chapter legends, “The Snell Brothers”.