He died peacefully at home on Wednesday at the age of 93.
His funeral took place in the Victorian Chapel Mount Jerome at Harold’s Cross on Tuesday, and was followed by cremation.
His nephew, Chris Binchy, who paid a tribute, described his uncle as a “force for good”.
“He was endlessly generous. He had a great laugh, the actual physical laugh, which was never far away and made you glad to be around it,” he told mourners.
“His enthusiasm for the Irish language might make a native non-speaker think they should give it another go.
“He was a force for good. The world is a sadder place without Gordon in it,” he added.
Sarah Binchy, his niece, spoke of the relationship between Snell and his late wife.
“Gordon always said how lucky he was to have found such happiness with Maeve. He always talked about Maeve in the present tense and, as my cousin William has observed, everything for Gordon was ‘we’, not ‘I’.
“Gordon loved the Paddington films, and when he and my parents saw Paddington 2 together, my father Billy came out with the epiphany. He said: ‘Gordon is Paddington’.
“Someone who came from overseas, made his home in a new place. Someone kind, gentle, optimistic. He sees only the best in others.
“His beautiful nature wins him friendship, admiration, and belonging wherever he goes,” she added.
Snell’s friend, author and recipient of the inaugaral UCD Maeve Binchy Travel award, Henrietta McKervey, recalled the first time she met him.
“It was May 27, 2014. I was so nervous that I fell going in the door of Newman House. There was an event at which he was to give me the new award, the Maeve Binchy UCD Travel Award, which he had established and funded in Maeve’s honour at UCD.
“But as soon as I was introduced to him, I realised how silly I had been to be nervous, for he was immediately warm and friendly,” she added, describing him as “clever, generous, witty, and compassionate”.
Christine Green, who worked with the couple for many years, first met Maeve Binchy in 1979, when she was already married to Gordon for two years.
“When she died, though he was unutterably bereft, he continued to be a wonderful supporter and a guardian of her life’s work. It’s impossible to exaggerate how key Gordon and Maeve were to each other’s success.
“Every writer has a team of people behind them, but none could ever be as important as Gordon was to Maeve and Maeve to Gordon.
“They worked side by side, read and critiqued each other’s work. They celebrated each other’s successes and their celebrations were always inclusive, warm and generous.
“They travelled the world together and the world travelled to them. Gordon loved his adopted country and his adopted country loved him right back,” she added.
Snell was a British-born author wrote of children’s books, including Amy’s Wonderful Nest, The Supermarket Ghost, and The Phantom Horseman.
He also worked in media, including as a BBC radio producer in London, where he met his wife in 1970.
The couple married in 1977 and lived together at a home in Dalkey, Binchy’s hometown, where he continued to live following his wife’s death.