VWC mourns tragic loss of student Michael Snapp
There was an aura about him,' says his mother.
Baseball was the love of Michael Snapp's life, and the sophomore shared that love with Virginia Wesleyan as third baseman for the Marlins.
During the early morning hours of Sept. 25, the day classes resumed after the weeklong hiatus following Hurricane Isabel, Michael was inexplicably shot when answering the door to his apartment off Shore Drive in Virginia Beach.
Police still have no motive or suspects in the murder, which stunned the Wesleyan community as well as Hampton Roads.
Michael, who would have turned 20 the day his family received mourners at a Newport News funeral home, was a graduate of Woodside High School in Newport News, where his mother Patricia taught math. Described as a "straight-arrow" person by those that knew him, Joe Wasiluk, sports information director, said, "He's not the kind of kid you think this would happen to."
Michael chose to attend Virginia Wesleyan to be close to his family, Ron and Patricia Snapp, and lived within a mile in Virginia Beach of his grandparents and numerous aunts and uncles. His older brother Adam is a senior at Radford University.
Following a lifelong passion for baseball, Michael also wanted to attend Wesleyan because he thought he would have a better chance to start on a small college team than at a Division I school. Last season as a freshman, he played in 33 out of 44 games, and started in 29.
Patricia Snapp and family members at the tree
lighting and candlelight ceremony for Michael in December.
"We have lost a great person, friend and teammate, and brother," said Marlins Coach Nick Boothe. "Michael was always the most excited player to get on the field... He will always remain in our hearts on and off the field."
Remembering her son, Patricia said Michael was quiet everywhere except the baseball field. "There was an aura about him," she said. "In high school, he would stand in the hall quietly, and students would come to him and gather around him. It was amazing to watch."
But he wasn't perfect. "He was challenging to raise," Mrs. Snapp said. "I wasn't done with him yet."
One of Michael's uncles, an ordained minister, gave the eulogy at Michael's funeral at Chestnut Memorial United Methodist Church in Newport News, where nearly 1,000 people attended the standing-room-only service.
At the close of the service, the congregation was left with a question and answer from Michael, which was found written on the inside of his Wesleyan ball cap: "What is love? Playing every game like it is your last."
Michael certainly did that, demonstrating to those he left behind how to live life to the fullest.