Sonya (Sunny) Simone Golden was born on August 23, 1939, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, to the late Frances (Machamer) Snyder and Wilson Snyder, Sr. She passed away at home on August 20, 2024, leaving behind her husband Ed of 60 years, along with three daughters: Sherri Hotchkiss (Bo), Broadway, Virginia; Jennifer Lane (Lee Wadlington), Pendleton, Indiana; and Heather Golden (Chris Leeson), Cincinnati, Ohio. Sunny is also survived by six grandchildren: Savannah (Jon Borinsky) and Lexi Lane, and Sally, James, Amelia, and Nathaniel Hotchkiss, along with her brother Wilson Snyder, Jr. She was preceded in death by her brother Sherman Snyder.
Sunny grew up in Wiconisco, Pennsylvania, and graduated from Lykens (PA) High School. Early in life, she loved to perform. She was a 10-year old featured majorette leading the high school band, and after graduation and while working at the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board in Harrisburg, she entered numerous local beauty pageants. In 1962, she was crowned Miss Shamokin and was a semi-finalist to enter the Miss Pennsylvania Contest.
Sunny and her husband, Ed, moved to Wyoming in the early 1960s, where Ed went to college. They had their first daughter, Sherri, in Laramie, Wyoming, and in a few years returned to Pennsylvania as Ed finished his B.S. degree. They then moved to Newton, New Jersey, followed by Lebanon, Connecticut, where they completed their family with two additional daughters: Jennifer and Heather. They soon moved to Garrett County, Maryland, where they settled for over 30 years and raised their daughters.
Sunny was a teacher’s assistant in the Garrett County Maryland School System for over 20 years. She loved young children and her special needs kids, whom she nurtured along their school years. Sunny was also a Business and Professional Woman of the Year, awarded personally by the Governor of Maryland. She was actively involved in Garrett County Maryland’s Relay for Life and the Garden Club (“Dirt Diggers”) of Encampment, Wyoming. She was the epitome of warmth and caring. She lit up everyone in her path. In fact, her nickname “Sunny” came from her cheery and kind disposition.
First and foremost, however, Sunny was a wife and mom. She embodied everything a mother should be – and she was so proud of her daughters: everyone she met knew their backstories and college pedigrees. She was supportive, kind, strong, and adorable, and she pushed her daughters to be the best they could. This included a focus on education and travel. Before departing this life, Sunny said travel was her formal education. Her first trip to Switzerland in her early 20s lasted for over a month, and she returned to Europe multiple times, culminating in a wonderful trip with her husband to Ireland.
Sunny and her family will be forever grateful to the friends, neighbors, and community of Riverside/Encampment, Wyoming, for providing love and support over the past few years of her health challenges. They are especially thankful for her “sister” Pat Musetti and caregivers Stephany, Kylee, and Elaine. Sunny will be dearly cherished as an amazing wife, mom, grandma, aunt, sister, and friend.
In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes contributions to Ribbons of Hope Wyoming, The Corbett Foundation Saratoga, Wyoming, and the Carbon County Wyoming Senior Center.
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