Remembering Stan Sneech

Mr Stanley Max Sneech was killed in a motor vehicle accident on October 16 while on his way to the North Coast.

He was 88-years-old at the time.

He was well-known in Edenvale, where he was born on October 14, 1927.

Stan was the son of Amelia and Harry Sneech, who was a well-known pioneer of Edenvale.

Harry Sneech was the first citizen to be awarded the Freedom of the Town of Edenvale at a unique ceremony.

Stan attended the Edenvale Dual Medium School and the Eastleigh English Medium School. He completed his high school education at Germiston High School. He obtained a Bcomm degree from the University of Witwatersrand.

Stan was a skilled sportsman and gained a half blue for soccer at Wits.

He played soccer and rugby for various local clubs and also excelled at tennis, swimming and golf.

He was a good table tennis player and acted as coach and manager of the South African Junior Table Tennis team that visited Zimbabwe.

Stan contributed greatly to the progress and growth of Edenvale in his role as property developer and entrepreneur.

He built, inter alia, the Eden Mall Eden Place, Apple Bite Roadhouse and established the townships of Harmelia and Esther Park.

His business enterprises included shopping centres, townships, housing developments, and caravan parks throughout South Africa.

His shopping centre, Northcliffe Corner, attracted AMF to join him as the first and only tenpin bowling alley in South Africa at the time.

Stan was renowned as a good driver and for his vast knowledge of cars, and was a source of advice to all who needed to know anything about cars.

He established Stanley’s Car Sales, which he enjoyed for many years and held the agencies for Peugeot and Renault.

His interest sparked a hobby and career in car racing.

He competed in local and national events at Kyalami and other venues in South Africa.

Because of his unique knowledge of growing up in Edenvale in the early days, he was constantly called upon to speak at various schools and organisations so that he could impart his unique and vast knowledge of his beloved Edenvale to school children and many other interested parties.

His generosity and kindness were well-known and he was always ready to lend a helping hand to anyone in need.

In his early thirties, he was approached and urged to form a Round Table Service Club in Edenvale, which he did and served as its first President and dedicated member until he turned the ripe old age of forty and could no longer belong to the Round Table Organisation.

Undaunted in his quest for service to others, he immediately approached people of like interest and formed the Lions Club of Edenvale.

Stan served as President and in various other capacities and had recently been granted a 47 year attendance award for not missing a Lions meeting in all those years.

He also attained the highest honour by being awarded the Melvin Jones award by his club.

This is the Lion’s highest award presented for dedicated humanitarian efforts for humanity.

The Lion’s Club Organisation is the largest service club organisation in the world and Stan worked his way through the ranks until he was elected District Governor of District 410B, which included Transvaal, Swaziland, Eastern and Northern Transvaal and Mafikeng.

He served in this office for a year with love and dedication, and brought his personal charm to bear.

Stan was a member of the early Edenvale Museum society, assisted with the formation of the Edenvale Senior Citizen’s Association and worked tirelessly for Little Eden, Norman House, the Edenvale Chamber of Commerce and many other organisations in need of his assistance.

Stan was a founder member of the Edenvale Jewish Community, of which he was an honoured, loyal and dedicated member.

In 1953 Stan married Lorna Lieberman from Roodepoort on the West Rand, and they were married for nearly 63 years.

He leaves his wife Lorna, his three daughters, Adrienne, Sherianne and Robyn and a son Barry as well as nine beloved grandchildren and three great grandchildren.