Fay Snyder Blackburn, 92, of Acton, Massachusetts, formerly of Bloomington, Indiana, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, June 15, 2022. Fay was born on August 11, 1929, in Abilene, Kansas, to Glenn W. and May Bowyer Snyder. She was the fourth of their seven cherished daughters. In 1955, Fay married Richard Donald Blackburn. They lived with their two daughters, Lisa and Jan, Colorado Springs, Colorado; Manhattan, Kansas; and Bloomington Indiana. In 2015, Fay relocated to Acton Massachusetts, and lived near her daughter, Jan, for her remaining years. 

Fay graduated from Kansas Wesleyan University in 1951 with a degree in Music, and attended the Interlochen Center for the Arts in the summers of 1950 and 1951. She continued her education at the University of Colorado Boulder, earning a master’s degree in Music Education in 1955. Fay taught hundreds of music students, including in the Chapman, Kansas, and Denver Public Schools. She taught private violin lessons, and started the first Suzuki method violin program for young musicians in Manhattan, Kansas. Throughout her career, she performed in numerous ensembles and orchestras—including the Colorado Springs Symphony and the Bloomington Symphony—and studied under the direction of renowned violinists, including Mischa Mischakoff, Joseph Silverstein, and Daniel Guilet. 

Fay was preceded in death by her parents; her husband Richard; and her sisters, Myra Marshall, Lorna Perry, June Jury, Lois Wilbur, and Kathryn Walters. She is survived by her daughters, Lisa (Chris) Roller of Indianapolis, Indiana, and Janette Blackburn (Tom Doolittle) of Acton, Massachusetts; her sister, I. Elaine Entrikin; and her grandchildren, Jake and Jesse Roller, and Lauren and Theresa Doolittle. A memorial service will be held in Bloomington, Indiana. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Fay’s memory to Kansas Wesleyan University Music Campaign: https://kwes.acck.edu/ICS/Alumni/Online_Gift_Giving.jnz  ; Hoosier Hills Food Bank: https://www.hhfoodbank.org/donate/ ; or Acton Congregational Church Music Gift Fund https://www.actonc.org/donate