Benjamin Madigan Snavely

Benjamin Madigan Snavely was born on Feb. 1, 1982, and passed to eternal life on Thursday, Nov. 26, 2015, in Missoula. Ben was born an old, kind soul, with a conflicted schizophrenic brain. He was intellectually, artistically and spiritually advanced beyond the realities of the modem world. He struggled constantly with the traditions of modem society. The tortuous voices in his brilliant mind could not be permanently calmed, just temporarily quieted by medication.

Ben blessed so many with his twinkling smile, sense of humor, compassion and endless generosity. His lack of pretention and rejection of materialism were endearing to all who knew him. Ben was devoted to God, Sidha Yoga and loving others.

Ben's devastated family will never be able to fill the gigantic void left by his passing. He is survived by his father and stepmother, Don and Sharon Snavely of Missoula; his heartbroken and devoted mother, Bonnie Madigan of Kailua, Hawaii, who was his soulmate; his sister Sarah Snavely (Ted Malmros) of Stockholm, Sweden, who devoted years of her life to guiding and caring for Ben; his brother Jacob Snavely (Rebekka Karijord) of Stockholm, who was Ben's best friend and confidante; and his brother Daniel Snavely of Pearl City, Hawaii, who always encouraged and comforted Ben. He is also survived by his nephew, Evert Malmros; his niece, Maude Malmros and his niece, Liv Luca Snavely/Karijord; his uncle Daniel Madigan of Milwaukee; his aunts, Martha Madigan of Philadelphia and Maureen Sievers Madigan of Milwaukee and Kathleen Snavely of Burlington, Wisconsin; and his cousins, Kathryn and Teddy Schutz, Vincent Snavely, Kelly, Kate, Bridgett, Daniel (Fuller), Claire, Grace, Matt, John, Teddy and Maggie, all of whom constantly nurtured and supported Ben. Ben has countless friends in Missoula, Milwaukee, San Francisco and Hawaii.

Ben's family requests that you honor Ben by working to remove the stigma of mental illness from the world. All contributions are gratefully accepted and will be used to find cures and treatment for mental illness. They should be mailed to NAMI Hawaii, 770 Kapiolani Blvd., Suite 613, Honolulu, HI 96813, or made online at namihawaii.org. Private services for the family will be held.


Read Benjamin Snavely's Obituary and Guestbook on www.missoulafuneralhomes.com.