HOLDEN, Mass. – Eddie Kay Snyder, 76, of 508 Bullard St., formerly of Andover, died Monday, Dec. 3, surrounded by his loving family.

He was born in Wooster, Ohio, on March 13, 1931. He graduated from Margaretta High School in Castalia, Ohio, in 1949, and entered the Army soon after graduation. He completed U.S. Army Signal School and went on to instruct and train Army staff on electronics equipment during the Korean War. His Army career was underscored by meeting General of the Army and first Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Omar N. Bradley in 1951. He was honorably discharged as a sergeant in 1952.

He worked for AT&T in Andover, where he was instrumental in the historic launch, tracking, telemetry and global communications transmissions by satellite, Telstar I, in 1962. Telstar I carried the first live television broadcast to be shown across the Atlantic Ocean, sending American space technology into the global limelight. Eddie was immensely proud of this accomplishment and considered it the highlight of his career. He worked for AT&T until retiring in 1984, after 31 years.

He leaves his wife of 45 years, Katherine L. (Denslow) Snyder; seven children, Mark A. Snyder and wife, Anna, of Andover, Robin (Snyder) Gardner and husband, Richard, of Port Clinton, Ohio, Scott A. Snyder and wife, Deborah, of Rutland, Mass., John K. Snyder of Auburn, Andrew K. Snyder of Norway, Cherie (Snyder) Ronayne and husband, Paul, of Worcester, Mass., and Lori A. (Snyder) Rojcewicz and husband, Keith, of New Braintree, Mass.; 19 grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; three sisters, a twin, Betty Lou Goff and husband, Richard, of Gulf Port, Fla., Mary Lynn Milford of Yucca Valley, Calif. and Zoe Ann Boring of Barberton, Ohio.

He was predeceased by his father, John H. Snyder; his stepmother, Irene Snyder of Catawba Island, Ohio; and his mother, Evelyn (Bowman) Brewer of Wooster, Ohio.