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George Snyder may not be one to laugh, but his wife could tell he was happy Tuesday as he got a chance to do what he always loved again — fly.

Snyder, 84, was surprised with the flight by his wife, Sharon Snyder, and the activities director at his nursing home, Marika Waldo.

He was admitted in February to hospice care with Eagle Cliff Healthcare in Billings. His Type 2 Diabetes had worsened, and about two months ago a bacterial infection in his foot led his doctors to amputate his right leg just below the knee.

During the past month his health took a turn for the worse. He’s been classified as failure to thrive.

One day he opened up to Waldo; he told her he wished he could fly in an airplane one last time.

That's when Waldo learned that Synder had served as a pilot in the U.S. Air Force in 1954 and piloted planes for the majority of his life.

After his discharge he continued to pilot airplanes well into his 70s. At one point he owned two planes. Snyder also bred dogs and would often fly the puppies to their new homes across the country. Originally from Brooklyn, New York, he's lived with his wife Billings the past 11 years.