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Esther Arnell Snyman, 93, formerly of Bartlesville, joined her beloved husband, Nico Snyman, in Heaven on Monday, March 17, 2025, in Locust Grove, Oklahoma.
Esther was born in Siteki, Swaziland, Africa, on June 21, 1931, the third of eight children born to Clarence and Roberta Keith. She and her seven siblings were all born on the mission field in Africa where the Keiths spent a total of thirty-three years as missionaries under the Wesleyan Church.
Her first ten years were in Swaziland (present day Eswatini). Because of a severe outbreak of malaria, her family was moved to Emmanuel Mission, Port Shepstone, Natal, South Africa. Life in the mission field was difficult for a family of eight children, especially providing for their education. She was home schooled alongside her siblings.
After the Keiths spent eighteen years in missionary work, they moved to Austin, Indiana where her father grew up. She started high school in the United States which was quite an adjustment after living her first fifteen years in Africa. She attended a Christian high school and college with her siblings. The five oldest children were allowed to work their way through college. Esther earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from God’s Bible School and College in 1955.
Esther met her husband Nico Snyman, a citizen of South Africa, while in college. The couple was married on May 15, 1955, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Esther and Nico moved back to South Africa where both her children, Yvonne and Eugene, were born. The family returned permanently to the United States in 1963 and resided in Kansas City, MO. Nico passed away from Mesothelioma in April 1971.
Esther put herself through nursing school while raising her children. Upon completion of her schooling in 1974, she moved to Bartlesville, Oklahoma, where she worked at Jane Phillips Memorial Hospital for the rest of her career. She never remarried and instead dedicated her life to serving others in her nursing career, her church, and her family. At Jane Phillips, she worked in oncology, patient teaching (especially diabetes), and as a head nurse. Additionally, in her role as enterostomal therapist she spent many hours visiting patients in their homes all around the Bartlesville area. She resided in Bartlesville from 1974 to October, 2019, at which time she moved to Locust Grove, Oklahoma, until her passing.
While living in Bartlesville, Esther attended Bartlesville’s First Wesleyan Church.
Esther is survived by two children, Yvonne Sandlin and her husband Eric, and Eugene Snyman and his wife Kathy; siblings, David Keith and his wife Joanne, Mary Gunsalus, Bonnie Sheen and her husband Brian, and Varona Barrows; nine grandchildren, Michael Snyman, Angela Schmidgall and her husband Sean, Daniel Snyman and his wife Sarah, Timothy Snyman, Teresa Vance and her husband Sean, John Snyman and his wife Ciara, Nicole Hicks, Monica Pierce and her husband Robert, and Joshua Hicks and his wife Shana; ten great-grandchildren, Eisley and Norah Pierce, Gabriel Schmidgall, Raphael Schmidgall, Nathaniel Schmidgall, Filumena Schmidgall, Felicity Schmidgall, Joan of Arc Snyman and Jerome Snyman, and Nicolaas (Nico) Snyman; 17 nieces and nephews and dozens of great-nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Nico Snyman; parents, Clarence and Roberta Keith; brothers, Robert Keith and John Keith; sisters-in-law, Huberta Keith and Ruth Keith; nephew, Keith Lorenzen; sister, Bethel Lorenzen; brothers-in-law, Irwin Lorenzen, Harold Gunsalus and Robert (Bob) Barrows.
Visitation will be from 10-8 Thursday, March 20, 2025, at Davis Family Funeral Home & Crematory – Walker Brown Chapel, 4201 Nowata Road, Bartlesville, OK 74006, 918-333-7665.
Funeral services will be 2 p.m. Friday, March 21, 2025, at Davis Family Funeral Home & Crematory – Walker Brown Chapel with Reverend Dan Dennison officiating. Arrangements are under the direction of Carter Davis and Davis Family Funeral Home & Crematory – Walker Brown Chapel. Online condolences and remembrances may be shared at www.DavisFamilyFuneralHome.com.
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