Dates
Ernest Neil Snipes had a tenacious and persevering life spirit which served him well from birth. Born six weeks premature at Camp LeJeune, NC, to Tom and June Snipes, he was the oldest of their four children. Being in a military family, Neil enjoyed living in various places, including Hawaii, which helped develop his respect for and enjoyment of people of different perspectives, cultures, and lifestyles.
Neil was ultimately a man of the world but deeply Texan at his core. He honored his parents' Wise County roots and cultivated and treasured relationships with extended family members. He valued his experience as a young landman, which informed his knowledge of Texas history and also helped guide him to a different profession. While initially uncertain about living in San Angelo, he grew to love West Texas where he could breathe and enjoy the wide-open spaces and sky. He was also known for his Texas sayings – including “I'm upright and between the ditches,” which conveyed far more than people understood.
Neil was smart, curious, and inquisitive – always wanting to learn about life as it unfolded. He was a deep thinker and avid learner, with no subject off limits. While not one for small talk, he inspired and invited others to think “outside the box” and engage with the world differently, too. Even after retirement, he continued to invest in personal and professional growth for the benefit of himself and others.
Compassionate, wise, and committed to healing in multiple forms, Neil had a strong sense of responsibility to those in his orbit and also to the larger universe. He used his skills, gifts, education, training and traits, including his dry wit, as a psychotherapist, investing deeply with those with whom he worked. Through his counsel of clients, family members, friends, faith community, and others, Neil positively impacted and helped many people change their lives.
An avid fisherman for decades certainly helped cultivate his capacity for patience! The importance of fishing in his life was noted by Neil's perspective when, in 2012, he experienced a second chance at life following a double lung transplant: he said it was like going to a fishing tournament and knowing before it started that he would win.
No matter the challenge, Neil courageously put his whole self into it, determined to figure out the issue and do whatever was necessary to get the most out of life and himself.
Those who carry forward his love and legacy are his wife Karen Schmeltekopf, family members, friends, former clients and colleagues, University Health San Antonio transplant staff he loved so dearly, and his beloved dog Gus.
We will celebrate Neil's life Saturday, April 11, 2026, 11:00 am, Unity Spiritual Center, 5237 S. Bryant Blvd, San Angelo.