Remember the Snarrs

We hosted the Snarr Family Reunion in San Antonio, Texas this year! I chose the theme, "Remember the Snarrs" because of how we "Remember the Alamo" and we used the movie Coco as inspiration, since it is all about remembering our ancestors and Day of the Dead. I am convinced we couldn't have come up with a better theme for our family reunion! I came up with the theme before my mom passed away, so after she passed away and before the reunion, I was overcome with emotion and a testimony of how important it is to REMEMBER and honor our ancestors. Sometimes, when you lose a loved one, you don't want to think about it, for fear of feeling the hurt and the loss, however, I put a picture of my mom by my study desk and think of her often and because I do, I feel I am inviting her into my heart and home, to be a ministering angel to my family and I. 

I had so much fun planning this reunion and making all the little details count. We introduced the reunion by giving each family a mini pinata with treats and coco stickers and a scroll explaining the reunion.  A few months later we sent out a save the date magnet in the mail that was customized papel picado (I used the extra as the cake topper). During the reunion, we gave each family a San Antonio bag with Texas heat trail mix, other treats and Coco coloring books.

The itinerary:

Our Fiesta/ Day of the Dead party was amazing! We had a bounce house, tacos, jarritos, cascarones and an ofrienda of our ancestors. We assigned each family ancestors and asked them to tell a story about them and bring an item that represents them to display on the ofrienda.  It was wonderful to be able to spend that time as a family, learning about our ancestors and feeling connected and close to them. 

My mother in law, Sydney, told us about Ben's great x4 grandfather, James Steele.

James Steele joined the church in England, and married Elizabeth Wylie. They had two little boys, ages 3 and 1, when they decided to come to America and join the Edward Martin Hancart Company. They got a late start on their journey and experienced harsh winter weather. They crossed the icy Sweetwater River with the help of a rescue party sent by Brigham Young. James Steele made it across the river with his family but he did not make it to the Salt Lake Valley. They were rationing their food so much, and he was making sure his family was fed that he died of starvation. The painting known as, Martin Handcart Company in Bitter Creek, Wyoming, 1856 is an illustration of James Steele being buried. As his wife, holding their baby boy, William, weeps. James is an example of faith, courage and love and devotion to his family.

His son, William, Ben's great x3 grandfather, never knew his father, but carried on his fathers legacy and honored him. He was know for his honest dealings, and he would not allow his children to speak bad of anyone. 

Ben and I  talked about Jacob Hampton Traynor (Fox is named after him) and his wife, Lottie Parkinson Hill, it happened to be Lottie's 136th birthday that very day, so we sang "Happy Birthday" to her and enjoyed cake. 

 

Happy Birthday Lottie!