In memory of Sharon · In honor of Larry

The Snell Foundation

Carrying the weight so you can grieve.

For the elderly spouses navigating life after loss — because the ones who gave everything deserve someone in their corner.

What We Do

Three moments. Three kinds of help.

We don't write a check and walk away. We show up at the three moments when elderly spousal caregivers need someone most — and we carry the weight so they don't have to.

The Immediate Crisis

When your person is still in the ICU and the world is already asking you to make decisions.

  • Meal delivery to the family
  • Funeral logistics liaison
  • Shielding from cost conversations at the bedside

The Aftermath

The first weeks after loss. The calls, the paperwork, the house that doesn't feel like home anymore.

  • Notification service — institutions, accounts, paperwork
  • Home deep clean and reset
  • Belongings support with care

The Long Road

Months later, when the casseroles stop coming but the need doesn't.

  • Life-admin help — bills, finances, benefits
  • Companion matching with people who get it
  • Check-ins that don't stop

Get Involved

This work takes a community.

Donate

Every dollar goes directly to supporting a surviving spouse through their hardest days.

Volunteer

Be the steady hands. Help with meals, home resets, paperwork, or just showing up.

Partner

Funeral homes, hospice orgs, senior services — if you see these families, let's work together.

Spread the Word

Share our mission. Most people don't know this gap exists until they fall through it.

Their Story

Sharon & Larry

Sharon Lee Snell and Larry Malcolm Snell met in high school in Memphis, Tennessee. He still remembers what she was wearing the first time he ever saw her. They were married fifty-four years.

Sharon and Larry Snell at dinner

Sharon & Larry

Larry was a mechanic. Sharon ran the shop office. Two strong, independent people who grew up in the '50s, '60s, and '70s — and chose each other every single day. That's what a real partnership looks like.

Sharon's memorial at the shop office she ran

Sharon's desk at the shop

When Sharon passed, Larry's hair went white overnight. His face aged ten years in a day. It never stops taking a village.

The Snell Foundation exists because Sharon was the kind of person who stayed. She was charitable and generous long before it became a way to gain internet clout. She took in wayward girls and foreign exchange students who needed a place to live. She was an iconic mother and wife. Her story, her legacy changed so many lives, and despite her passing, she is still here with us, showing us the way.

Shawn and Larry Snell

Shawn & Larry — one of the kids Sharon and Larry raised. He's a grandpa now. He's one that stays.