Allen Jay Snoke

Allen Jay Snoke, 67, passed away early, both in time of day and time of life, on July 31st at his home in Centralia, Washington. Many of his friends knew him as A.J. or Braumeister and a lucky few of us knew him as Grandpa, Dad, Sweet Pea or Sweetie.

The best word to describe AJ is devoted. This started with a devotion to his country. AJ joined the Army in 1968 and served tours in Thailand, Japan and Germany. He received several awards and medals during his service including an aircraft crewman award for his time in Vietnam. When he retired from the Army in 1988 as Master Sergeant, AJ continued serving the military in a civilian capacity as a government contractor in Virginia. In 1991 he moved to Washington with his family and worked at Fort Lewis as a Senior Intercept Receiver Systems for 20 years.

His most special devotion was to the love of his life, Laurie A. Rivenburgh. Laurie and AJ were married on April 30th, 1977 in Massachusetts. The devotion and love between them produced two children; Kelly A. Kearney (married to Micheal Kearney) and Andrea N. Rydholm (married to Timothy Rydholm). He is also survived by his four grandchildren; Liam, Jade, Axel and Rhone. AJ’s happiest times were spent with those he loved.

AJ loved great beer and enjoyed brewing it himself, and it is not hard to describe him similarly. “Upon first glance one could see a bright, robust and sharp man. For those bold enough to approach AJ, a complex surprise awaited. Those who spent more time with him realized he was deep in character with sometimes hints of hoppy bitterness; but never able to hide a sweet and smooth core. While the finish is bittersweet because one knows something so original and unforgettable doesn’t come around often, those of us who were able to enjoy him would not trade it for anything.”

AJ will be sorely missed by those who knew and loved him. A celebration of his life is occurring on Friday August 21, 2015 from 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm at Albee’s Garden at 4127 20th LN NW, Olympia, WA 98502.