Obituary of Mildred A. Snee

Mildred Alma Snee passed away peacefully of natural causes on May 26, 2020 in Providence, RI, aged 90 years.  A resident of Duxbury, MA for 25 years and she moved to Marshfield, MA in 2019.  She was preceded in death by her husband of 57 years, LCDR John J. Snee.

Mildred was born in Highland, Illinois on July 12, 1929 to Hermann and Antonia Drees and raised in a family of seven sisters and one brother.  She ended her schooling before graduating from high school, working to support herself and her family.  As early harbinger of her interest in travel, she took a position as a telephone operator for Bell Telephone Company, travelling on short term assignments across the Midwest.  

In 1949, while working as a telephone operator in Annapolis, MD she met John J. Snee, then serving in U.S. Navy.  They married in 1950.  For the next twenty years, Mildred raised a family, managed the family household, did volunteer work, and supported her husband’s career as a Naval officer.  She was the quintessential “Navy wife,” often hosting young enlisted sailors to family dinners as a reprieve from mess-hall dining.

Mildred & John had three natural children (John Jr Snee of Cohasset, MA, Antonia Snee of Marshfield, MA, & Bryant Snee of Falls Church, VA), one adopted daughter (Susan Fagundes of Laughlin, NV) and Mildred welcomed into her family a stepdaughter from John’s prior marriage (Susan Snee Stolar of Tucson, AZ).     

In addition to work as a telephone operator, over the years of their marriage, Mildred also worked in retail, managed a gift shop on Okinawa for the Navy Relief Society, and was an early adapter of the B&B trend by establishing and operating a B&B in Narragansett, RI.  In retirement, she and John took many cruises, visited regularly with extended family across the country, and enjoyed many hours with their grandchildren.

Mildred loved travelling, cooking and baking, children, and had a keen interest in the history of domestic life and household ways.  She was an exceptional homemaker and meticulous housekeeper (making beds and cleaning floors up to her last days), and a collector of unusual kitchen gadgets.  

In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by six of her sisters (Cecilia Brammel, later Ciezadlo; Joan Ryndak; Rita Schrage; Louise Ribbing, and Helen Drees) and her brother (Victor Drees).  In addition to her children and stepdaughter, she is survived by her sister (Leona Moss) and her grandchildren (Crystal, Cody, Nora, Isabel, Eliza, Dylan & Jacob) and numerous loving and wonderful nieces, nephews and cousins.

Mildred will be buried with her husband at the National Military Cemetery in Bourne, MA.  The family expresses their profound gratitude to the Hope Health Hospice Center in Providence, RI for the truly amazing care provided to Mildred and family in her final days.  In lieu of flowers, donations in her name may be made to the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society (https://www.nmcrs.org/) or the Hope Health Hospice Center (https://www.hopehealthco.org/).