Thursday, 28 March 2024

Genevieve Snow, 1941-2011

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Genevieve dancing the hula for Clear Lake Performing Arts. Courtesy photo.


 

 

 

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Genevieve Ploke Snow went to be with Our Lord on Good Friday, April, 22, 2011, at the age of 70 years old, after suffering stroke and aneurysm with extensive brain damage on the morning of April 18, 2011.


Life support was extended to April 22 for organ donations and to give her a chance at recovery whereby she faded out naturally other than a beating heart to the end. Others were helped in her passing via transplant surgery.


She was blessed with a brief moment in suffering among family during the stroke, caught by her son when falling and passed on very peacefully, as did her mother who died in her sleep, as did her little brother who died at age 12 on Easter Sunday of aneurysm, and as did her sister who passed on recently in her sleep.


Genevieve was born in Agana, Guam on March 15, 1941. As a toddler among the Perez-Ploke family, which headed Guam's resistance, she survived the Japanese occupation, raiding of her house, capture of her father (CPO John F. Ploke, Zentsuji POW), starvation/emaciation/ dysentery, witnessed the torture and execution of her family and friends, the burial of her granny on the roadside during the death march, the near execution of her grandfather as a suspected American spy (Resistance chief/ SRO and the acting U.S. naval governor of Guam).


Through it all, she was blessed with severe PTSD's complete amnesia of childhood, though filled with nervous energy and hypertension all her life from it, which is part of what kept her so active and restless.


When her father returned from the Zentsuji POW camp, Genevieve (a.k.a. “Snooky”) was immediately drafted to sing and dance for the USO as a copycat of Shirley Temple, which gave much happiness to a people rebuilding in the war's aftermath and to GIs missing their families back home.


She and her little brother were celebrities on early Guam TV stations and remain famous out there among the old-timers, and this would begin a lifelong affinity Genevieve had for singing, dancing, music and being the entertainer.


In 1957, she was Guam's Liberation Day Queen. She was a graduate of George Washington High in Guam and later Creighton University in Nebraska. Genevieve worked as an editor in Guam, assistant to the governor of Guam, was a reporter for the Modesto Bee and public relations director for St. Luke's Hospital in Washington state.


She was commissioned in 1965 as Guam's first woman U.S. naval officer. She separated at the rank of lieutenant in order to care for her young son and become a military wife since her husband was busy leading combat missions over Vietnam and flying recon into Soviet airspace with Strategic Air Command. There, Genevieve was active in support of military wives and returning POW events.


In the Navy, Genevieve served as a personnel officer, public relations officer and supported the operations of NAS Glenview, NAS Alameda and also the Blue Angels.


She later worked 10 years with Kaiser Hospital before retiring to Lake County as a substitute school teacher. Active to the end and despite cardiac double bypass surgery in 2008, Genevieve is remembered by friends as a sweet lady who was much the gadabout, adventurer, always on the move, highly energetic, filled with loads of fun and laughs. She was much the social butterfly and hula dancer among Lake County's Vietnam Veterans, VFW, MOAA, Clear Lake Performing Arts and other groups.


Genevieve also was active in the Parish of St. Mary Immaculate in Lakeport, Calif. She will be dearly missed by family and friends, but has gone to a better place.


Visitation and services were held at Holy Angels/Holy Sepulche on April 30, 2011, attended by a large gathering of family, Bay Area friends and some from Lake County. Military honors were performed by the American Legion, 10th District.


The family wishes to extend its apologies for being unable to notify all of Genevieve's friends in Lake County as there was barely enough time and sleep to arrange everything from April 22 to April 30. Her funeral was very nice, however.


Due to Genevieve's friends who could not attend from Lake County, the family and friends are providing a second memorial service locally. Services are at the Parish of St. Mary Immaculate on Saturday, May 21, 2011. A rosary will be held at 11 a.m., with a Mass and memorial service at 11:30 a.m. and a reception and potluck social in the church hall at noon.


All are invited to attend and make friends with her friends. She loved to attend parties and meet people.


For those who cannot attend, family and friends have two memorial videos posted to YouTube.


 







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03.30.2024 9:00 am - 2:00 pm
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