Kenneth Donald Snavely

KENNETH DONALD SNAVELY

MUSCATINE, Iowa – Kenneth Donald Snavely, 87, passed away on Monday, April 27, 2026, at Lutheran Living from Vascular Parkinson’s Syndrome. Don was an organ donor.

Funeral Service will be at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, at the Wittich-Riley-Freers Funeral Home. Burial will be in Greenwood Cemetery with a luncheon following at the Island United Methodist Church. Pallbearers will be his “Three Sons”: Trenton, Dalton, and Weston Kirby, and his nephews, Michael Estabrook, David Schmelzer Jr., Darin Schmelzer, Don Watson Jr., and Ken Watson.

Visitation will be from 4:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. on Monday, May 4, 2026, at the funeral home. Memorials may be made to the Iowa Donor Network or the Island United Methodist Church. Online condolences may be made at www.wittichfuneralhome.com.

Kenneth Donald Snavely, (aka, ‘Donnie’, ‘Snakeyes’, and ‘Pee-Wee’) was born on June 14, 1938, in Muscatine, Iowa, the first child and only son of Kenneth A. and Nellie M. (Olinger) Snavely.

He married Donna Norris on November 27, 1965. To this union was born Donald Joseph Snavely. They later divorced.

Don attended Muscatine High School, where he was active in the Muscatine High School band, playing trombone. He served in the U.S. Army from 1959 – 1961 then reverting to the Iowa National Guard. He became a truck driver at the age of 18, his lifelong dream, first driving for Morgan Trucking, then Poole Transfer and finally Roadway Trucking, retiring after 40 years and 3 months. He was a 5-million-mile driver, taught safety classes at various high schools, including Muscatine High School and for the Muscatine County Sheriff's Office. He received the 1991 Driver of the Year Award, Quality Employee Award, and was chosen to travel to the State of Iowa to have pictures taken to be used for advertisement items. He was also selected for the American Road Team. After his retirement, not being able to just sit around, in 1999 he started his own lawn mowing business, which he had for 15 years and drove part time for Tan Tara.

In earlier years, Don was active in the Muscatine Jaycees, being awarded the Dedicated Service Award and was a volunteer for the Muscatine Search and Rescue Unit. He was a member of the Muscatine Masonic Lodge #2, being a 32nd Degree Mason; the Scottish Rite, the Muscatine County Shrine Club, Iowa City Shrine Club, the Camel Wheels Shrine Club of Iowa City, the Kaaba Shrine of Davenport, Iowa, and a member of the Shriner’s Hospital Dads. He was a member of the Island United Methodist Church where he served as a Trustee.

Don enjoyed dancing, especially to Polka music, being with the “Black Hats”, golfing, tinkering in his garage, and most of all having a good time.

He is survived by his “lady friend’, Nancy Sterner, and her family, Mike Sterner of Texas and Steve and Ann Sterner and family of Kansas; his sisters, Dianne Watson and Dorene (David) Schmelzer; brother-in-law, Jess Svoboda; several nieces and nephews; great nieces and nephews; and four great great nephews, soon to be five.

He was preceded in death by his grandparents; parents; son, Donald Joseph Snavely (1984); and sister, Denise Svoboda (2/26).

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Kenneth Donald Snavely, please visit our floral store.