Is it possible to love a manatee like it’s part of your family?
- Longtime South Florida Museum volunteer reflects on the loss of Snooty
- Leah Brown and her family have spent years with Snooty
- Snooty the Manatee died of drowning, according to necropsy
- ON FACEBOOK: Share your Snooty memories
- LINK: South Florida Museum
For one longtime volunteer, the answer is yes.
The first thing you see when you walk into Leah Brown’s office is a row of awards on the cabinets over her desk.
The first award is a large square glass cup with a silvery metal manatee. The manatee represents Snooty. And the award is from the South Florida Museum.
She’s been giving of her time and resources for a decade.
"I volunteered and worked at so many fundraising efforts and celebrations, and at the core of each and every event was Snooty," she said.
It was the 2015 Snooty Gala where Brown struck gold—sort of—in the raffle of the night.
She won the specially created piece of jewelry fashioned after the gala’s theme “The Museum After Dark.”
It’s a delicate gold sunburst pendant necklace adorned with smaller gold and jeweled planet pendants.
It’s her most precious piece of jewelry—because of its connection back to the museum.
And to Snooty.
Brown is wearing it one day after news of Snooty’s passing shocked and saddened people around the world. The pendant is reminding her of happier times.
Her first happy memory of Snooty came well before she was a volunteer – it was as a student at Palma Sola Elementary School in Bradenton.
"Many of us in Manatee County have fond memories of visiting Snooty with their classroom field trip,” explained Brown.
Her husband also took and enjoyed the “Snooty” field trip as a Manatee County student, and so they decided to start their life together with Snooty.
"So we got married there in 2009, I had my baby shower there for my daughter in 2011 and also celebrated her birthday last year,” Brown explained, smiling.
And then came the ultimate present.
As a long-time VIP volunteer –Brown and her husband Brent and their 5-year-old daughter Taya –got to meet Snooty up close- nose to snout.
"It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," said Brown. “I'll always have that memory with me, and I know my daughter and my husband will too."
Leah says she grieves with her museum family.
And she hopes to continue volunteering there in Snooty's honor.
"Snooty was famous throughout Manatee County, but he was also famous around country and the world,” she said. “Even though he's not with us anymore, I think he’ll always be a part of this community and he'll be sorely missed."