GREENFIELD — Hancock County Superior Court 1 Judge Terry Snow jested they wouldn’t need a room bigger than a phone booth for his reception on Friday.
That certainly wasn’t the case as the line of people extended out the door of the courtroom he’s presided over for the past 17 years. While courtrooms are often contentious venues, the verdict was unanimously jovial from those wishing him well as he prepares to step down from the bench.
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Snow, 71, is retiring at the end of the month after deciding to leave his current term a year early. He served as county prosecutor for 16 years before becoming judge and a state trooper for 16 years before that. Snow also served in the National Guard.
“I’ve had a blessed career here in Hancock County,” Snow said. “…I’ve always said Hancock County is just a fantastic place to live and work and I still feel that today; and I’ve seen the good, bad and ugly of it over the years to be sure.”
He’s enjoyed helping people through tough times, whether it’s a criminal case, a victim, a defendant, divorcing couples, children in need of services, wills or estates.
“You’ve got to remember you’re dealing with people’s lives every day,” he said.
Snow plans to volunteer more than he already does when he steps down. He said he’ll wait a year before deciding whether he’ll do any senior judge work, but added he may fill in every once in a while as a pro tem judge.
Judge Dan Marshall was elected to the county’s Superior Court 2 the same year Snow was elected in Superior Court 1. He was also one of former prosecutor Snow’s deputies for 14 years. Marshall said his colleague’s career has been all about service and hard work. He remembered Snow taking an equal share of the caseload as the elected prosecutor on top of the role’s administrative duties.
“It’s been really nice to have someone that you have a comfort level with to talk about matters relating to being a judge, because it’s different and it’s not something you can talk to other lawyers about,” Marshall said. “If you have a difficult case or are trying to reach a difficult decision, it’s really nice to have someone that you feel comfortable talking to and that you know will keep your confidence.”
Hancock County Circuit Court Judge Scott Sirk has known Snow since 1986, when he started as a law clerk for a firm in town during Snow’s time as prosecutor.
“Sometimes he gives the military exterior, but he really cares about people,” Sirk said, adding one of Snow’s favorite parts of his job is helping in family matters in which parties don’t have legal counsel. “He really feels he can help people.”
Vicki Splater worked for Snow in the prosecutor’s office for 16 years, first at the front desk and then as a paralegal.
“He was the best boss I ever had,” she said. “…The kind of boss you could always depend on, always had your back.”
Her daughter, Lori May, has worked as a court reporter for Snow for the past 2½ years.
“He deserves time to enjoy his retirement,” she said. “But he’s been wonderful to work for.”
Karen Wiese, also a court reporter, worked for Snow for nine years when he was prosecutor and the past four in his court.
“He’s one of the most caring people I’ve ever met, both on and off the bench,” she said. “He’s very, very funny. People don’t always see that, with what he’s got to be in there versus what we see in here.”
Kristin Trautmann has been Superior Court 1’s office administrator for the past three years. She said Snow has a knack for getting to the crux of a case.
“He’s a really good judge of character and knows when somebody’s telling him the truth,” she said. “That’s a really interesting quality to watch in someone.”
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