Judge John David Snodgrass

A beloved husband, father, grandfather and friend died at home on the farm in Scottsboro, Alabama. Funeral services will be held at 1pm Tuesday, February 7, 2017 at Scottsboro Funeral Home. The family will receive friends from 11 am until time of service. Burial will follow near his farm at Gant Cemetery. He was preceded in death by his parents, John Milton Snodgrass and Sydie Jones Snodgrass. Survivors include his wife of 44 years, Carla Jones Snodgrass, daughter, Emily Snodgrass Nutt and husband Michael, and son, John David Snodgrass Jr. and his wife, Valerie. Grandchildren include Carter, Dylan, Garrett Nutt and Claire Snodgrass. John David, “The Judge”, lived a life dedicated to the law. He received a BS from the University of Alabama and then graduated from the University of Alabama Law School in 1962. He was a member of many organizations in college, including the Kappa Alpha Fraternity. He began his long law career as an attorney for Ford, Caldwell, Ford and Payne in Huntsville, Alabama in 1963. He was elected to the Alabama State Legislature in 1966 then appointed to Circuit Judgeship in the Place One of the Twenty-third Judicial Circuit in 1968, and subsequently was elected in 1970, 1976 and 1982. He was appointed as Presiding Judge of the Twenty-third Judicial Circuit by the Chief Justice in 1973 and then elected Presiding Judge 1977-1989. John David was elected President of the Alabama Association of Circuit Judges in 1980-1981. He was elected to the Board of Directors of the National Judicial College in Reno, Nevada 1983-1988, where he also served as Chairman of the Board from 1987-1988. Throughout his career he had several Supreme Court of Alabama Appointments; Judicial Ethics Advisory Committee and Delegate to the National Conference of State Trial Judges to name a few. In 1989, he joined the law firm of Balch Bingham until 1995 and then became an arbitration mediator until he retired. The Judge was well-respected, known for his fair judgement and was staunch defender of facts and the truth. He was dedicated to many civic causes and also served on many civic boards in Huntsville, Al. He loved the University of Alabama and was inducted as a member of the Denny Society in April 2016. The Judge loved to travel, but loved his time on the farm most of all. He was an avid gardener and relished the time he spent planting flowers and vegetables and sharing them with family and friends. The Judge was an avid reader of biography and history. He was always surrounded by family, friends, dogs, horses, and cattle. Donations in the memory of Judge John D. Snodgrass to University of Alabama or Sarcoma Alliance of Research Collaborators (SARC)

Judge John David Snodgrass

March 27, 1938 - February 3, 2017