Lewisburg-area family dedicates bench honoring Jaxon Snyder's life and legacy

A bench facing the pond at Fairground Road Park in East Buffalo Township now stands as more than a memorial to Jaxon Snyder. It also points to the work his family says will carry his name forward in Union County, where they are building a nonprofit effort to help other children play sports without the burden of buying new equipment.

Lewisburg-area residents gathered Saturday, April 12, to dedicate the bench for Jaxon, who died at age 13 after a brief illness in 2024. The spot was chosen with care: it sits in front of the pond where his family says he loved to fish, turning a quiet corner of the park into a public marker of remembrance. The ceremony came just two days before what would have been his 15th birthday on April 14.

Stacie Snyder said her son was the kind of child who made connections quickly. “He would make friends wherever he went, just very easy going,” she said. Nate Snyder said the timing of the dedication mattered to the family because it fell so close to Jaxon’s birthday and reflected the things he loved most, including time outdoors and sports.

Jaxon Lee Snyder was born April 14, 2011, in Lewisburg, and his obituary identified him as an eighth-grade student at Lewisburg Area Middle School. He died Aug. 20, 2024, at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville after a brief illness. Family members have also described him as a boy with academic and athletic potential and a kind-hearted spirit.

That legacy has taken shape through Play It Forward, the Jaxon Snyder Foundation, a 501(c)(3) registered nonprofit that collects and redistributes gently used sports equipment. The foundation says it also accepts donations and volunteers, with a stated fundraising goal of $25,000. Its website lists a claim that more than 200 kids have been helped, while noting that the totals shown are demo data before launch.

Nate Snyder, who has coached in the Lewisburg area for more than a decade, said he has seen how quickly the cost of cleats, gloves, bats and other gear can keep families from signing a child up. The bench at Fairground Road Park, along with the foundation’s work, gives that loss a practical direction: a place to remember Jaxon, and a local effort aimed at making sure other Union County children can stay in the game.