Esther Snyder | |
|---|---|
| Born | Esther Lavelle Johnson January 7, 1920 |
| Died | August 4, 2006 (aged 86) |
| Nationality | American |
| Known for | Co-founding In-N-Out Burger |
| Spouse(s) | Harry Snyder |
| Children | Harry Snyder Richard Snyder |
Esther Lavelle Snyder (née Johnson) (January 7, 1920 – August 4, 2006) was an American businesswoman. She co-founded In-N-Out Burger, with her husband Harry Snyder, in 1948.
Early life
Snyder was born and raised in Sorento, Illinois, as one of eight children (seven daughters, one son). She attended Greenville College and graduated from Seattle Pacific University with a bachelor's degree in zoology.[1]
Marriage and family
She met Harry Snyder in 1947, while working at a restaurant in Seattle; the two were married the following year and moved to Baldwin Park, California.[2]
Esther and Harry Snyder had two sons: Harry Guy (more commonly referred to by simply "Guy"; born 1951) and Richard Snyder (born 1952) and one granddaughter from their first son Guy: Lynsi (born 1982). Esther outlived her husband, who died in 1976 and both of their sons, one of whom died in a plane crash and the other of a drug overdose.
Death
She died on August 4, 2006, in Baldwin Park, California, aged 86, from undisclosed causes. Her only grandchild, Lynsi Snyder-Ellingson, is now the heir to the In-N-Out Burger company.[3][4]
Esther Snyder Community Center
Since In-N-Out Burger was started in the city of Baldwin Park, the city named its community center after Esther Snyder.[5]
References
- ^ "In Loving Memory of Esther Snyder". innout.com. Retrieved November 26, 2010.
- ^ "Esther Snyder, 86; Began In-N-Out Burger". The New York Times. August 13, 2006. Retrieved November 26, 2010.
- ^ "In-N-Out matriarch Snyder dies at age 86". 2006-08-06. Archived from the original on 2006-08-07.
- ^ "Esther Snyder, In-N-Out Burger Founder, Dies at 86". The New York Times. August 13, 2006. Retrieved 2008-04-01.
Esther L. Snyder, who with her husband founded the popular West Coast restaurant chain In-N-Out Burger, died August 4. She was 86. The family declined to release further details, including the cause of death, said Bob Emmers of Sitrick & Company, which handles public relations for the chain. Esther and Harry Snyder opened the first In-N-Out drive-through stand in Baldwin Park, Calif., in 1948. In-N-Out now has 202 restaurants in Arizona, California and Nevada.
- ^ "City of Baldwin Park - Esther Snyder Community Center". Retrieved 2009-08-18.
Further reading
- Perman, Stacy (2009). In-N-Out Burger: A Behind-the-Counter Look at the Fast-Food Chain That Breaks All the Rules. New York: Harper Collins Publishers. ISBN 978-0-06-134671-2.