Family, friends, and colleagues will gather Sunday to honor the life and memory of Laura Snyder-Gardner, a Gallaudet University professor, and her daughter Mary Ann.
Both women, who were hard of hearing, died in an early-morning fire at their home in Falls Church Wednesday. Ten of the family's pets -- two dogs and eight cats -- also perished in the blaze. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Snyder-Gardner taught math at Gallaudet University. She also helped coach the girls soccer team at the Model Secondary School for the Deaf (MSSD) on Gallaudet's campus. Mary Ann was a junior at MSSD. A statement from Gallaudet described her as an honors student and a member of the school's soccer and cheerleading teams.
Mother and daughter had lived in the house on Manor Road in Falls Church since 2009, when Snyder-Gardner moved to the area from Florida to take a position at Gallaudet
The memorial service will be held in the Elstad Auditorium at 2:30 p.m. Sunday. The school has set up a scholarship fund in memory of both women. Attendees at the memorial service are being asked to wear pink and yellow, two of the Gardners' favorite colors.
