Politics & Government

Former MWAA Chair Dead in Murder-Suicide

Charles Snelling's family says he ended his wife's life and then took his own

Charles Snelling, who served on the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority for nearly a decade, and his wife, Adrienne, were found dead in their Fogelsville, Pa., home on Thursday morning, according to multiple Patch sources in local Pennsylvania politics.

Snelling was a prominent GOP activist and businessman who served as chairman of the board in 2010 and 2011.

Adrienne suffered from Alzheimer's disease.

Find out what's happening in Restonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"After apparently reaching the point where he could no longer bear to see the love of his life deteriorate further, our father ended our mother's life and then took his own life as well," according to a statement released by the family Thursday night.

The Snellings, who were both 81, are survived by five children and 11 grandchildren.

Find out what's happening in Restonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

President George W. Bush nominated Snelling to serve on the authority's board of directors in 2003.

MWAA is overseeing construction of Metro's $6 billion Silver Line for Metrorail as well as the operation of Dulles International and Reagan National airports.

Snelling presided over last year's debate about whether to build a Metro station above or below ground at Dulles Airport. The board ultimately agreed to build it above ground as a cost-saving measiure.

Timothy Hennessey, aide to Pennsylvania state Sen. Bob Mensch, called Charles Snelling  "a visionary, an entrepreneur and a friend to us all."

"Their legacy will endure through their generous commitment to Lehigh Valley Hospital, Cedar Crest College, and many other organizations. My thoughts and prayers are with the Snelling family and all those who know Charlie and Adrienne," he told Patch.

Police and the Lehigh County coroner's office have so far declined to identify the victims pending notification of next of kin. The bodies were found around 9 a.m.

Snelling took part in the "Life Report" project of New York Times writer David Brooks. A Dec. 7, 2011, entry called "A Love Story and Redemption," told how the Snellings came to terms with Adrienne's Alzheimer's diagnosis six years ago.

Their romance of more than 60 years began when Charles was a sophomore at Lehigh University and Adrienne was a student at Cedar Crest College.

The Times article quoted Charles as saying, "Although (Adrienne) is a very, very sick puppy, she remains to this day a sweet, happy, loving and generous person. How lucky for both of us. To have such an affliction in the household is a very learning experience... After all, this lady rescued me from a fate worse than death, and for a long, long time. What I am doing for her pales beside all that she has done for me for more than half a century."

Snelling founded a company called Cryotherm and held 20 patents.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here