Second local boat captain dies in a week

The Destin fishing fleet has taken another blow.

Capt. Chet Snyder, 64, of the charter boat Stress Relief II died from an apparent heart attack Thursday afternoon in his home on Benning Drive in Destin, the second Destin captain to die in less than a week. Capt. Virgal Snellgrose died last Friday in Sacred Heart Hospital.

“It was painless,” said Snyder’s wife Joan.

Snyder had taken a group out fishing Thursday morning and had arrived back at HarborWalk Marina about noon. He went home and was outside for a little while, when he got tired and went in, Joan said. She later found him dead.

Snyder, who has fished out of Destin since 1994, has three children.

“He was very attentive, lovable ... and just helped everybody,” Joan said.

When word reached the fishing docks Thursday afternoon, “it was a biggest shock ever,” said Frances Montalvo, manager of HarborWalk Charters. “It was devastation for the people on this dock.

“We absolutely adored him,” Montalvo said.

Montalvo said whenever there was any kind of activity going on down at the docks, from fish fries to chili cookoffs, he was always there.

“He was always involved,” she said. “He was the best.”

When he came in from his trip on Thursday, “He was absolutely fine. He was laughing and joking with us ... the usual Chet.

“He was family and he’s going to be missed dreadfully.”

Capt. Mike Graef of the Huntress, who docks a couple of slips down from Snyder, said he’ll be “really badly missed.”

“He was a first class act all the way,” Graef said. “Honest as the day is long ... and a good friend.”

Another captain and friend of Snyder’s on the docks is Capt. Bud Miller of the Melanie Dawn. For the past six or seven years, Miller has docks his boat in the slip next to Snyder’s Stress Relief II.

“He was a super guy ... he would do anything in the world for you,” Miller said with tears rolling down his face, just a few hours after he heard the news.

“He was always there whenever you needed something,” Miller said, whether it was tools, tackle or fishing information.

“He was a true conservationist,” he said.

Miller recalled a time when Snyder had a red snapper float away from his boat, and he had already had his limit, so he brought the fish over to Miller’s boat.

“He didn’t want the fish to go to waste,” Miller said, noting they didn’t have to kill any more either.

“He cared about the business, people and was very fair-minded,” said Capt. George Eller of Checkmate.

“He was a good all-around person ... hard working ... always ready to step up and participate.”

Snyder served as treasurer for the Destin Charter Boat Association and was on the board of the Destin Fisherman’s Coop.

“He was well liked by everybody,” Eller said.

Capt. Tony Davis of the charter boat Anastasia said, “he was such a good guy ... a straight shooter. He didn’t pull any punches.”

Davis also described Snyder as a man with a great sense of humor.

“He was all the time cracking something ... He always had something going on.

“But he was a wonderful guy and will be sorely missed.”