Friends, family and longtime customers remember Maxine Snapka, whose kindness helped make Snapka’s a beloved Corpus Christi institution for generations.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — For generations of Coastal Bend residents, a visit to Snapka’s wasn’t complete without seeing Maxine Snapka’s smile.

Maxine Snapka, who helped build the beloved Corpus Christi restaurant alongside her late husband, Method Snapka, from its earliest days, died July 26 at the age of 103. Friends, employees and family members say her legacy extends far beyond the business she devoted much of her life to.



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For years, Maxine could be found near the Leopard Street location’s entrance, greeting customers, sharing stories and making visitors feel like family.

“She was a beautiful lady,” longtime Leopard Street location manager Joe Trevino said. “You could see that smile as soon as you came here. She’d light up the house with her smile, always smiling.”

Trevino was hired by Maxine and Method when he was just 18 years old. He’s worked at Snapka’s in different stints for decades and says Maxine made a lasting impression on everyone she met.

“By noon, 12:30, she’d be here,” Trevino said. “I’d fix her plate. I would sit with her and chat and we would tell stories about each other. She knew my life and I knew hers.”

Her daughter, Kathy Snapka, who now owns the restaurant, said her mother remained mentally sharp until shortly before her passing and believed staying active, physically and mentally, was one of the secrets to a long life.

“She was just as sharp as a tack all the way until right before she passed away,” Kathy said. “She never wanted anyone to retire because she said, ‘If you retire, you die. You need to stay active.'”

Those lessons extended beyond the restaurant.

Richard Kemp remembers being a teenager who frequently found himself in trouble for drag racing – sometimes through the Snapka’s parking lot. After he was drafted and sent to Vietnam, Maxine began writing him letters from Corpus Christi.

Kemp said those letters became a reminder of home, not only for him, but for the other soldiers serving alongside him.

“Things are kind of quiet around here now that you’re not smoking the tires through the front of our parking lot,” Kemp recalled one of Maxine’s letters saying. “Those guys felt like they kind of had a letter too because they understood. They did the same things in their hometowns.” 

Even decades later, Kemp said Maxine immediately recognized him when he attended her 100th birthday celebration.

“It was a thrill,” he said. “She just knew me immediately when I walked in the door.”

Longtime friend Minnie Selcer said Maxine had a rare ability to make everyone feel welcome.

“If you knew her, she was just so friendly,” Selcer said. “If you didn’t know her and you met her, you would’ve thought you’d been friends for years.” 

For nearly eight decades, Maxine helped shape Snapka’s into more than just a restaurant. To many in Corpus Christi, it became a gathering place where customers were treated like family and everyone was welcomed with a smile.

A visitation will be held Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. at Maxwell P. Dunne Funeral Service on Morgan Avenue. Funeral services are scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday at First United Methodist Church.