Local celebrates 100th birthday

Above: Ora Snyder rides a horse for what she said was "the last time" at the age of 97. She will turn 100 years old on December 8. There will be an open house at the Canterbury Inn in Longview on December 8 from 2 - 3:30 p.m. to celebrate Ora Snyder's 100th birthday.

Ora Isabelle Wright was born on December 8, 1907 in Klamath Falls, Ore. to Roy and Mattie Wright. When she was four years old, she moved to Pasadena, Calif. with her parents and older brother Ernest, where they had a peach orchard. Later they moved to Anderson, Calif. Her father died suddenly when she was seven and they moved to Dorris, Calif. to live with her mother's parents on a ranch.

She attended a one room school for three years a mile away from the ranch and either rode with her brother or walked. Her mother married again to a minister, R.J. Allen and Ora attended many schools in her grade school years.

Sister Roberta was born in 1919. She attended high school in Redmond and Edmonds. Her father was called to become the minister of the Cathlamet Congregational Church during her junior year. She has been a member of the church since 1924.

She graduated from Wahkiakum High School in 1926. She met Melvin Coates who, along with his father and brother, owned and operated the ferries from Cathlamet to Puget Island and from Puget Island to Westport. Ora and Melvin were married on October 18, 1926. They had three children: Shirley Hendrickson, Ora Loraine Bauer and Donald Coates. The ferries were sold in 1932 and Ora and Mel owned the Cathlamet Market and Wahkiakum Refrigeration Co.

Melvin passed away in May, 1965 and Ora later married Marvin "Tige" Snyder. They had 22 years together until Tige passed away in 1989.

Ora has always had a passion for horses and when she was 97, she rode for what she said "was the last time."

Snyder has a large family; besides her children she has 10 grandchildren, 14 great grandchildren and seven great great grandchildren.

After 70 years, she moved to the Canterbury Chateau and four years ago to the Canterbury Inn.