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David and Lori Sneed look to preserve coastal waters, including the Pamlico River, by supporting the efforts of the Coastal Conservation Association, Ducks Unlimited and the Pamlico-Tar River Foundation.
Family enjoys simple life on the sound
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Written by CHRIST PROKOS | Photographs by MEREDITH LOUGHLIN
avid and Lori Sneed have a three-word mantra that captures the essence of “Brackish Life”: enjoy life simply. They do this by celebrating, educating and preserving the coastal waters — sounds, rivers and marshes — from Virginia through Florida and to the Gulf Coast of Texas. The Sneeds have made this commitment for three of the most important people in their lives: their children, Allie, Hoyle and Sam.
24 • WASHINGTON THE MAGAZINE | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2012
“I have a job that I work basically just to be able to keep doing the Brackish Life,” David Sneed said. “When people ask ‘what do you do for a living?’, this is what I do for a living. “It’s my passion at this point.” It all started several years ago with the burst of the real estate bubble. As construction work slowed to a trickle, David found himself out of work as a manager for a Greenville construction company, a job he had held for 12
years. “I felt that if we were ever going to try this, now was the time to do it,” David said. “My kids said, ‘Dad, you always have these great ideas, but why don’t you ever do anything with them?’ That’s kind of where it all came from.” Both David and Lori had grown up near the water. David’s father, a former personnel manager at Hamilton Beach, had a river cottage on Kilby Island in Bath. Lori’s father had a place on Wrightsville Beach.