ALTON - The Alton High School Class of 2001, joined by members of the community, will hold a candlelight vigil in honor of their classmate, Officer Blake Snyder, at the Alton Public School Stadium, 1513 State St., Alton, at 7 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 10.
Attendees will be able to make donations to the family as well as participate in a balloon release in Blake’s honor.
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While responding to a call Officer Snyder was killed Wednesday, October 6th in Green Park, MO.
Missy Raley, also a member of the Class of 2001, has been an organizer of the candlelight vigil. She said organizers are getting a lot of response on Facebook and a large group from the class and others around the region will likely be in attendance.
“In talking to just members of the Class of 2001 and the Alton community and others on Facebook we discovered they were interested in doing this,” she said of the vigil. “Our class was close. Blake had several close friends in the Class of 2001.”
Raley described Blake Snyder as “a wonderful person.”
“I have known Blake all my life,” she said. “He was just a kind and gentle person. Blake was always a nice guy.”
Raley said she and other class members thought it was important to do something to recognize Blake in Alton, where he grew up and attended school.
“He grew up here all of his life and we wanted to celebrate Blake here,” she said.
There have been police officers being shot throughout the country in different situations and Raley said Blake Snyder’s death brings it to where he lived and attended school.
“You see the turmoil in the news, and when it happens right in your backyard, it does hit close to home,” she said. “It is heartbreaking. It doesn’t seem fair with his being so young and his just starting his family with his wife. It was just taken from them in such a horrible and unfair way.”
The candlelight vigil will be streamed live tonight (October 10th) on our website, our app, our Facebook page and on our YouTube channel.
