Richard Berlin Snell

Richard (Dick, “R”) Berlin Snell, 94, died peacefully at his home on June 11, 2025, but not before he asked his family to put his favorite George W. Bush baseball cap on his head. A true native son, he was born in Phoenix to Frank and Betty Snell of Palm Lane on November 26, 1930, a time when the city had just 48,000 residents. He attended Kenilworth Elementary School on 5th Avenue and North High School on Thomas Road, where he distinctly remembered being in the school’s crosswalk when, in passing, news came of President Roosevelt’s death. In high school and early college, Dick worked as a surveyor for Arizona Public Service in the northern part of the state. He was on the job on the Mogollon Rim, wrestling with barbed wire, when lightning struck the fence, threw him many feet, and knocked him out. For the rest of his life, he ran for cover at the first thunder rumble.

Dick graduated from Stanford University in 1952 and Stanford Law School in 1954. Shortly after graduation, he married Alice “Dinky” Snell, reported for duty at Fort Benning, Georgia, then served in the Infantry in Germany for three years to fulfill his U.S. Army commitment. It was in the army, he said, that he gained experience in two of the most important ingredients in his later success as a lawyer and business executive: “followership and leadership.”

Upon their return, Dick joined Snell & Wilmer, co-founded by his father, rising to co-chair the firm and specialize in securities law. His expertise in finance made him the right choice for his next two roles: In 1981, he was drafted to become Chair and CEO of Ramada Inc.; and from 1990 until his retirement in 2001, he was first Chair and then also CEO of Pinnacle West and its subsidiaries, including Arizona Public Service Company and SunCor Development Company.

In a tribute to Dick after his Pinnacle West retirement, then-Senator Jon Kyl wrote: “Dick Snell has been an effective business and community leader for over 30 years. To say he is tough, honest, capable and respected doesn’t do him justice. He is one of the handful of men and women who built the greater Phoenix metropolitan community.”

Shortly before his death, Dick revealed that he first understood what leadership looked like when he was 11 years old. He was with his friends in the mess hall at the Boy Scout camp north of Payson along Tonto Creek when a group of older scouts invaded the hall to steal their food. A melee ensued, with punches, kicks, and tears. Then his Scout leader entered the hall. He immediately got the lay of the land, and in few words without emotion but with unquestioned authority - de-escalated the violence. Eight decades later, Dick explained that in that moment he understood he had witnessed something exceptional and resolved to embody that kind of leadership in his own life. By all accounts, he did - including the knack for using the fewest words possible to get his point across. “If it can be said in ten words, Dick will say it in two,” said a former colleague.

He was a great horseback rider and loved Arizona’s natural beauty, especially around the Mogollon Rim and Greer. Every Sunday, Dinky would pack the picnic and Dick would pack the family and their slobbering dogs off to places he loved: the Verde and Salt rivers, Saguaro Lake, Four Peaks. To the end he could describe in minute detail how to get to his favorite spots. He was definitely a product of a particular place: He reveled in Arizona’s radically diverse landscapes and became an accomplished photographer capturing them. His commitment to community was also the product of his love for the place he was born and raised. He was Chair of the Arizona Community Foundation; Phoenix Aviation Advisory Board; Phoenix Community Alliance; Phoenix 40 (now known as Greater Phoenix Leadership); Phoenix Symphony Association; Phoenix 2000 Citizens Bond Committee; Thunderbird Graduate School of Global Management; and Valley of the Sun YMCA.

Dick was married to Dinky for 67 years, until her death in 2021. He is survived by daughters Karen Snell, Marilyn Snell, and Sarah Snell; sons-in-law Gregory Williams and Eric Meyer; grandchildren Sophie Meyer and Clay Meyer; nieces and nephews; a great grandson; godchildren and step grandchildren; and his dog, Chloe.

A service will be held at Shepherd of the Hills United Church of Christ, 5524 E. Lafayette Blvd., Phoenix, on Wednesday, September 3, at 4 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Valley of the Sun Lincoln Family Downtown YMCA, 350 1st. Ave, Phoenix.