Obituaries

AVMA member

AVMA honor roll member

Nonmember

Howard C. Adams

Dr. Adams (Brandeis Middlesex ’44), 93, Athol, Massachusetts, died Feb. 15, 2015. He owned Adams Animal Hospital in Athol for 40 years prior to retirement. Dr. Adams also served as animal inspector for the town of Athol. He was a past president of the Massachusetts VMA. Dr. Adams served on the Athol Area YMCA board of directors and was a member of the Masonic Lodge and Elks Club. His wife, Margaret; a son and a daughter; and four grandchildren survive him. Memorials may be made to the Athol Animal Shelter, c/o Athol Police Department, 280 Exchange St., Athol, MA 01331; or Athol Area YMCA, 545 Main St., Athol, MA 01331.

Austin T. Ayars

Dr. Ayars (Ohio State ’07), 34, Mechanicsburg, Ohio, died June 7, 2015. He owned Ayars Veterinary Service, a primarily bovine practice in Phoenix, for seven years, until moving recently to Ohio. Earlier, Dr. Ayars worked for Herd Health Management in Phoenix. Dr. Ayars was a member of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners and Ohio VMA and was active with the 4-H Club. His wife, Adrienne, and two sons and a daughter survive him. Memorials toward an educational fund for his children and a scholarship in his name may be made to Security National Bank, 2 S. Main St., Mechanicsburg, OH 43044.

Robert R. Birr

Dr. Birr (Michigan State ’56), 87, Pulaski, Wisconsin, died April 6, 2015. Following graduation, he joined a mixed animal practice in Pulaski that later became the Pulaski Veterinary Clinic. Dr. Birr served the Tri-County area for more than 40 years prior to retirement. He was a member of the Wisconsin and Northeastern Wisconsin VMAs.

Dr. Birr is survived by his wife, LaDonna; four sons; nine grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren. Memorials may be made to Bay City Baptist Church, 1840 Bond St., Green Bay, WI 54303.

John C. Donaldson

Dr. Donaldson (Auburn ’67), 72, Celina, Tennessee, died May 23, 2015. He was a mixed animal veterinarian. Dr. Donaldson is survived by his wife, Frances; a son and three daughters; 10 grandchildren; and a great-grandchild.

Toby S. Emo

Dr. Emo (Prince Edward ’03), 40, Nunda, New York, died June 7, 2015. A mixed animal veterinarian, he joined Nunda Veterinary Clinic following graduation and took over as owner in 2010. Dr. Emo was a member of the American Association of Equine Practitioners and American Association of Bovine Practitioners. His wife, Dr. Ailsa C. Emo (Prince Edward ’03), who has taken over Nunda Veterinary Clinic, and a son and daughter survive him. Memorials may be made to the Toby Emo Scholarship Fund Memorial, c/o Atlantic Veterinary College, University of Prince Edward Island, 550 University Ave., Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada C1A 4P3.

Donald C. Gay

Dr. Gay (Cornell ’62), 84, Fiskdale, Massachusetts, died June 11, 2015. He founded Sturbridge Veterinary Hospital in Sturbridge, Massachusetts, where he practiced small animal medicine for 36 years prior to retirement. Dr. Gay was an Army veteran of the Korean War. His wife, Jacqueline; three daughters; six grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren survive him. Memorials may be made to the Lewy Body Dementia Association, 912 Killian Hill Road SW, Lilburn, GA 30047, www.lbda.org.

George E. Gorse

Dr. Gorse (Cornell ’52), 90, Williamsburg, Virginia, died Feb. 22, 2015. A mixed animal veterinarian, he owned Biglerville Animal Clinic in Biglerville, Pennsylvania, prior to retirement in 2005. Earlier in his career, Dr. Gorse owned Blairstown Animal Clinic in Blairstown, New Jersey, and Stroudsburg Animal Clinic in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. He was a veteran of the Army Air Corps. Dr. Gorse is survived by his wife, Carol, and seven children. Memorials may be made to Hospice House, 4445 Powhatan Parkway, Williamsburg, VA 23188.

Thayer C. Hoover

Dr. Hoover (Iowa State ’82), 57, Spirit Lake, Iowa, died June 23, 2015. He worked for Pfizer Animal Health/Zoetis for more than 20 years. Earlier in his career, Dr. Hoover served as a swine technical services veterinarian for SmithKline Beecham Animal Health. He was a member of the American Association of Swine Veterinarians and Iowa VMA. Dr. Hoover’s wife, Cynthia; a son, daughter, and four stepchildren; and a grandson survive him.

Frank L. Krohn

Dr. Krohn (Cornell ’55), 84, Sarasota, Florida, died March 10, 2015. In 1958, he founded Springfield Animal Hospital in Springfield, Vermont, where he practiced mixed animal medicine until 1986. Dr. Krohn later worked for Healthy Pets of Venice in Sarasota and served as veterinarian for the Sarasota Greyhound Race Track. Early in his career, he taught at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Krohn’s wife, Carole, and three sons survive him.

Benson B. Martin Jr.

Dr. Martin (Pennsylvania ’80), 68, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, died March 18, 2015. A diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons, he retired in 2014 as an associate professor of equine sports medicine from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. During his 34-year tenure at the university, Dr. Martin also directed the New Bolton Center’s Equine Performance Clinic and Jeffords High-Speed Treadmill facility and served on the veterinary school’s admission committee.

Dr. Martin was a Navy veteran of the Vietnam War. Memorials toward the Ben Martin Endowed Opportunity Scholarship, with checks made payable to the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania, may be made to the New Bolton Center Development Office, 382 W. Street Road, Kennett Square, PA 19348.

Scott E. McComb

Dr. McComb (Oregon State ’97), 49, Chandler, Arizona, died March 27, 2015. A small animal veterinarian, he owned Crossroads Veterinary Hospital in Chandler. Dr. McComb was a member of the Arizona VMA and received its Young Practitioner of the Year Award in 2006. His wife, Missy, survives him.

Richard J. Nelson

Dr Nelson (Texas A&M ’62), 77, Seguin, Texas, died June 18, 2015. A mixed animal veterinarian, he established Parkview Veterinary Clinic in Seguin in 1968. Following graduation, Dr. Nelson served in the Army Veterinary Corps for two years, attaining the rank of captain. He then worked for the Department of Agriculture in south Texas and owned a practice in Uvalde, Texas, before moving to Seguin.

Dr. Nelson is survived by his wife, Ernestine; three sons and two daughters; and nine grandchildren. Memorials may be made to St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 201 E. Nolte St., Seguin, TX 78155; Guadalupe County Youth Show, P.O. Box 1400, Seguin, TX 78155; or the Texas Agricultural Education and Heritage Center, 390 Cordova Road, Seguin, TX 78155.

Jeffrey C. Peila

Dr. Peila (Washington State ’76), 64, Shepherd, Montana, died April 29, 2015. He owned Shepherd Huntley Animal Care Center, a mixed animal practice in Shepherd. Dr. Peila also raised cattle. Early in his career, he practiced in Montana at Ronan and Roundup and owned Animal House Hospital in Forsyth, Montana. Dr. Peila’s wife, Susan; six children; and 13 grandchildren survive him.

Andreas R. Richter

Dr. Richter (Florida ’87), 70, Genoa, New York, died June 1, 2015. A large animal veterinarian, he owned Cayuga Bovine Service in Genoa since 1998. Prior to that, Dr. Richter practiced at Midvale Veterinary Associates in Canajoharie, New York, and Cayuga Veterinary Service in Auburn, New York. Early in his career, he worked in Pennsylvania. Dr. Richter’s wife, Hannah, and two daughters and a son survive him. Memorials may be made to the Poplar Ridge Friends Meeting, P.O. Box 146, Aurora, NY 13026.

David H. Schmidt

Dr. Schmidt (Ohio State ’72), 74, Upper Sandusky, Ohio, died May 2, 2015. He owned Portage Animal Clinic, a small animal practice in Portage, Indiana, prior to retirement in 2011. Dr. Schmidt also helped establish the North Central Veterinary Emergency Clinic, serving as president and treasurer for several years. He was a member of the Calumet Area VMA board of directors and a member of the Indiana VMA.

Active in civic life, Dr. Schmidt was a past president of the Portage Chamber of Commerce and a member of the board of directors of the Portage YMCA and Wyandot County Historical Society. He served in the Navy from 1959-1963. Dr. Schmidt is survived by his wife, Rosalie; two daughters; and a grandson. Memorials may be made to the Wyandot County Historical Society, c/o Bringman Clark Funeral Home, 226 E. Wyandot Ave., Upper Sandusky, OH 43351.

Jim Simpson

Dr. Simpson (Texas A&M ’84), 56, Weatherford, Texas, died March 26, 2015. He owned Equine Chiropractic and Acupuncture, a mobile equine practice focusing on lameness. Earlier in his career, Dr. Simpson worked at Belmont Racetrack in Elmont, New York, for 17 years. He was a certified member of the American Veterinary Chiropractic Association. Dr. Simpson is survived by his wife, Brenda.

Michael E. Tatum

Dr. Tatum (Texas A&M ’64), 73, College Station, Texas, died June 23, 2015. He began his career as a veterinarian with the Texas A&M University Experiment Station. Dr. Tatum joined the veterinary faculty of TAMU in 1965, serving as a professor of veterinary anatomy until retirement in 2000. In 1999, he received what is now known as the Zoetis Distinguished Veterinary Teacher Award.

Dr. Tatum’s wife, Carol; two daughters and a son; and four grandchildren survive him. Memorials may be made to Hospice Brazos Valley, 502 W. 26th St., Bryan, TX 77803; A&M United Methodist Church, 417 University Drive, College Station, TX 77840; or Class of ’64 Scholarship, College of Veterinary Medicine, 4461 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843.

Notifications

For an obituary to be published, JAVMA must be notified within six months of the date of death via a toll-free phone call to 800-248-2862, ext. 6754; email to newsavma [dot] org (news[at]avma[dot]org); or fax to 847-925-9329.

Correction: The obituary for Dr. Benson B. Martin Jr. incorrectly stated that he was a Navy veteran of the Korean War. Dr. Martin served in the Navy during the Vietnam War.