Jhosy Paola Snyder was born in Managua, Nicaragua on June 10, 1987, and came to the United States to live with her adoptive parents, Janice Wilberg and Howard Snyder, on March 5, 1994. After a lifetime of bravely facing the terrible effects of rheumatic heart disease, she passed away during her fifth open heart surgery at St. Luke’s Hospital on June 6, 2026.

Jhosy is survived by her beautiful daughter, Paulina; her parents, Jan and Howard; her siblings Elizabeth (Tony) and their children Natalie, Alex, and Nicky, Nelson (Jenny) and their son Lorenzo, and Joseph. She is further survived by many relatives in her home country.

Jhosy loved Nicaragua with all her heart, but she was very much an American woman--strong, determined, resourceful, and beautiful. She will be greatly missed by family and friends in both countries.

The family wishes to express its deep gratitude to the Heart Failure Team at St. Luke’s and especially to Dr. Andrew Lin, her heart surgeon, for their tireless efforts on her behalf.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly asks that you consider making a donation to Paulina’s college fund through Wisconsin Edvest 529 via Ugift. Beneficiary: Paulina C. Duarte-Snyder. Ugift website: https://www.ugift529.com/ . Ugift code: X2J-B6E. When prompted, please enter the Ugift code. 

A memorial gathering will be held at Max A. Sass & Sons-Oklahoma Chapel, located at 1515 W. Oklahoma Avenue, Milwaukee, on Thursday, June 18 starting at 10AM until time of the memorial service at 11AM.