Family: Married to Barbara Crawford Snyder. Our daughter Sarah lives in Westport with three girls under 6 years old. Our son Ian lives in Brookfield.

Pets: Ollie, our 8-year-old yellow lab.

Where did you grow up? Redding. I played football against Bruce Jenner as a student at Joel Barlow High School.

How long have you lived in Newtown? I initially moved here in 1981, to work at Taunton Press, where I met my wife. We moved to Emmaus, Penn., in 1987, when I took a job at Rodale Press. Taunton hired me back in 2001, which brought us back to Newtown. Our third house in Newtown is a small, 1950s ranch that we renovated in 2017.

Work: I’ve spent most of my career as a writer and editor. Right now, I’m enjoying semi-retirement. I’m still taking on freelance writing assignments, and doing small carpentry and cabinetmaking jobs. I’ve been teaching woodworking classes through the Parks & Rec Department. And the novel I wrote during the pandemic (The Carpenter) has been getting good reviews on Amazon.

What do you do in your spare time? Barbara, Ollie and I walk every day in Fairfield Hills. We’re lucky to have family close by. We love spending time with our three granddaughters, and with Sarah and Ian. I belong to Newtown Tennis Association, and I still play tennis several times a week.

Unexpected Ability: It’s not very useful, but I can speak Afrikaans. I learned the language when I spent my senior year of high school as an exchange student in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Pet Peeve: Empty, unused buildings at Fairfield Hills. I’d love to see more of this impressive architecture repurposed as mixed-use development.

Favorite actor: Jeff Daniels

Favorite movie: Peanut Butter Falcon (my son, Ian, has Down Syndrome, just like the main character in the movie.)

Favorite author: James Lee Burke

Biggest influence: My wife Barbara. This smart, talented, beautiful woman has held our family together through thick and thin for over 40 years. Amazing.

What I like about Newtown: It’s a beautiful place to live, with great town parks, restaurants, grocery stores, and even a hardware store. We have good schools, and a great hometown newspaper that helps to knit our community together.