Gary Lee Snow

Gary Snow, 71, of Aberdeen, SD, passed away on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, at Angelhaus in Aberdeen.

A Memorial Service will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 29, 2026, at Aberdeen Alliance Church. Visitation will be held one hour before the service.

A time for refreshments and fellowship will follow the service at the church.

Schriver’s Memorial Mortuary and Crematory, 414 5th Avenue NW, Aberdeen, is honored to serve the Snow family. Friends and family may sign the online guestbook at www.schriversmemorial.com.

Gary Lee Snow was born to Gene and Pauline Snow in Lemmon, South Dakota, on October 16, 1954. Pauline remarried to Gene Svihovec when Gary was a young boy. From that point forward, Gene Svihovec took Gary under his wing as his own son. Gary went to school in Lemmon and graduated from Lemmon High School.

After high school, Gary started working for Coast-to-Coast in Brookings, South Dakota. During his time working for Coast-to-Coast, Gary followed his passions and love for music and co-created the band Country Edition, which later became known as Just B-Cuzz. Gary was a vocalist and the lead guitarist for the band. On September 3rd, 1977, Gary married Roxanne Braaten. He and Roxanne lived in Brookings, South Dakota. Gary and Roxanne had two children Nikki Peña (Snow) and Tristan Snow in Brookings, SD.

Not only did Gary have a love for music, but he also loved fishing, pheasant hunting, camping, and golfing. You could find Gary most happy when he had a fishing rod in his hands. He loved being on the water, whether it was the Missouri River or any lake, whether the fish were biting or not. Gary also looked forward to hunting with his son and pheasant opener on the Hageman farm. Gary always enjoyed spending time with his family and friends.

Gary met Karen Hageman in early 2000. They quickly fell in love, and He and Karen were then married on November 4th, 2000. They were married in Brookings, South Dakota. Gary was now working at Einspahr Auto Plaza selling cars. Gary and Karen lived in Brookings several years before moving to Flandreau, South Dakota. Gary continued his career in car sales at the Flandreau Ford dealership. After working for the dealership for several years, Gary had the opportunity to start and run his own company, H&S Spraying. This new opportunity was a new challenge that Gary fell in love with. Gary went from dress clothes to overalls and selling cars to spraying barns for flies. Gary and Karen then moved to a small acreage just outside of Flandreau, South Dakota, where they resided for the next 10 years. Having had a successful spraying business for 10 years, it was finally time to retire.

After retirement, Gary and Karen sold the acreage and bought a camper. They spent the next several years living in their camper during the summer months in South Dakota and spending their winters in Mercedes, Texas. While in Texas, Gary and Karen made many new friends and spent nearly every day on the golf course. As Gary’s health declined, it was time for a more permanent residence. In March 2023, Gary and Karen moved into their current home located in Aberdeen, South Dakota. Then, in August 2024, Gary moved into The Angelhaus in Aberdeen, South Dakota. This is where Gary spent the next two years. It is at the Angelhaus that he was given the nickname Gare Bear. He was truly loved by all the nurses and staff there. Gary passed away peacefully at the Angel Haus on Wednesday, August 19th, 2026.

Gary is survived by his parents Gene and Pauline Svihovec; his wife Karen of 25 years; his daughter Nikki (Mark) Peña, Tristan (Kelsey) Snow; siblings, Cheryl (Doug) Buhner, Terry (Kaye) Snow, Darin (Karmen) Svihovec, Travis (Ang) Svihovec; his step-children Kaylee (Justin) Herreid, Michael (Lisa) Hartung; his grandchildren Rylee Hartung, Clara, Naomi, and Amara Herreid, as well as many nieces and nephews.

Gary is preceded in death by his father, Gene Snow.