In Memory - April 14, 2022

AVMA member

AVMA honor roll member

Nonmember

Henry DeBoer Jr.

Dr. DeBoer (Cornell ’73), 74, Guilford, Vermont, died Nov. 10, 2021. He owned Pioneer Valley Veterinary Hospital in Greenfield, Massachusetts, where he practiced small animal medicine for nearly 30 years prior to retirement. During that time, Dr. DeBoer also owned Amherst Veterinary Clinic in Amherst, Massachusetts, and founded Working K9 Services in Guilford. He competed with his working dogs in the sport of Schutzhund, which tests a dog’s tracking, obedience, and protection skills. Dr. DeBoer’s wife, Faye; a son, a stepdaughter, and a stepson; and seven grandchildren survive him. Memorials may be made to the Franklin County Regional Dog Shelter, 10 Sandy Lane, Turners Falls, MA 01376, or the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, P.O. Box 22324, New York, NY 10087.

Dominic S. Gentile

Dr. Gentile (Iowa State ’21), 28, Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, died Oct. 29, 2021. He practiced at Whitehouse Veterinary Hospital in Whitehouse Station. Dr. Gentile is survived by his wife, Alexandra; his parents; and a sister and a brother. Memorials may be made to Cycle for Survival, 888 Second Ave., 7th Floor, New York, NY 10017, cycleforsurvival.org.

Roger F. Hagenberg

Dr. Hagenberg (Illinois ’70), 76, Orland Park, Illinois, died March 6, 2022. He was a partner at Bremen Animal Hospital in Tinley Park, Illinois, prior to retirement in 2017. Dr. Hagenberg is survived by his wife, Jeanne; three daughters and a son; and nine grandchildren.

Henry E. Lawston

Dr. Lawston (Minnesota ’68), 79, Lanesboro, Minnesota, died Feb. 18, 2022. Following graduation, he worked at Caledonia Veterinary Service in Caledonia, Minnesota, for a year. Dr. Lawston then established a mixed animal practice in Lanesboro. In 1987, he joined the U.S. Department of Agriculture, working in meat inspection. Dr. Lawston retired at the age of 71, subsequently working part time as an inspector for five years. He is survived by his wife, Harriet; two sons; and three grandchildren. Memorials may be made to the Gundersen Health Systems Foundation, 1900 South Ave., La Crosse, WI 54601.

Roy H. Peterson

Dr. Peterson (Washington State ’46), 98, Tillamook, Oregon, died Jan. 21, 2022. He practiced primarily large animal medicine in Tillamook County prior to retirement in the early 1990s. Dr. Peterson also served as the track veterinarian for the Tillamook County Fair for 40 years. He represented District XI on what was then the AVMA Executive Board from 1978-84, served on the AVMA Animal Agriculture Liaison Committee, and was a past president of the Oregon VMA and the former American Association of Retired Veterinarians. In 1998, Oregon State University College of Agricultural Sciences honored Dr. Peterson with a Diamond Pioneer Award for lifetime contributions to agriculture, natural resources, and the people of Oregon. In 1999, he received the Oregon VMA Meritorious Service Award.

Dr. Peterson was active with the Oregon Farm Bureau, Tillamook Area Chamber of Commerce, Kiwanis Club, Shriners, and Masonic Lodge. His two daughters, a son, 11 grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and a brother survive him.

Curtis T. Schafer

Dr. Schafer (Minnesota ’55), 92, Brandon, South Dakota, died Dec. 16, 2021. Following graduation, he owned a large animal practice in Wabasso, Minnesota. Dr. Schafer subsequently practiced in Hutchinson, Minnesota, for several years. In 1971, he moved to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and worked for GTA Feeds Harvest States, an animal feed company, until retirement. Dr. Schafer is survived by his wife, Shirley; two daughters; a grandchild; and a great-grandchild.

William W. Somerville

Dr. Somerville (Purdue ’79), 71, Nashville, Tennessee, died Feb. 18, 2022. He owned a small animal practice in Clinton, Indiana, for more than 30 years. Dr. Somerville served several years on the Indiana Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners, was a past president of the Indiana VMA and represented District 7 on the IVMA board of directors, and was a past chair of the Indiana Animal Health Foundation. In 2010, he was named IVMA Veterinarian of the Year.

Active in his community, Dr. Somerville was a past president of the Vermillion County Board of Health and was a member of the Vermillion Trails Alliance. His wife, Elaine; a son and a daughter; six grandchildren; and two brothers and a sister survive him. Memorials may be made to the Indiana Animal Health Foundation, 1202 E. 38th St., Suite 200, Indianapolis, IN 46205; Vermillion Trails Alliance, 703 West Park St., Cayuga, IN 47928; or Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine, 625 Harrison St., West Lafayette, IN 47907.

Linda J. Sullivan

Dr. Sullivan (Wisconsin ’87), 67, Madison, Wisconsin, died Feb. 1, 2022. She was a clinical professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine, retiring as a professor emeritus in 2019. Dr. Sullivan also served as coordinator for the Pet Pals pet therapy program at American Family Children’s Hospital in Madison and was active with PuppyUp Madison and Czar’s Promise, organizations that seek to eliminate cancer in pets and people. In 2003, she received what is now known as the Zoetis Distinguished Veterinary Teacher Award.

Dr. Sullivan is survived by her sister and her brother. Memorials, toward the Niles Newton Sullivan Fund for the American Family Children’s Hospital Dog Care Program, may be made to the University of Wisconsin Foundation, 1848 University Ave., Madison, WI 53726, or to Czar’s Promise, P.O. Box 5061, Madison, WI 53705.

A. Robert Twardock

Dr. Twardock (Illinois ’56), 90, Savoy, Illinois, died Sept. 3, 2021. Following graduation, he practiced small animal medicine for a year in Danville, Illinois. Dr. Twardock then moved to Ithaca, New York, where he earned his PhD in veterinary medicine from Cornell University. He subsequently joined the veterinary faculty at the University of Illinois. During his 40-year tenure, Dr. Twardock taught radiation biology and physiology and served as associate dean of the veterinary college.

His wife, Mary; a daughter and three sons; eight grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren survive him. Memorials may be made to First Presbyterian Church, Attn: Bob Twardock Music Ministry, 302 W. Church St., Champaign, IL 61820; the University of Illinois, Attn: A. Robert Twardock and Mary Twardock Track and Field Scholarship, 1700 S. Fourth St., Champaign, IL 61820; or Heart of Mary Medical Center Hospice, Attn: Twardock Memorial, OSF Health Care Foundation, 1400 W. Park St., Urbana, IL 61801.

Carl L. Zymet

Dr. Zymet (Cornell ’63), 84, Stoneham, Massachusetts, died Nov. 18, 2021. Following graduation, he worked for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, stationed in Des Moines, Iowa. Dr. Zymet subsequently owned Zymet Animal Clinic, a small animal practice in Ossining, New York, for more than 40 years. He was a diplomate of the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners and a member of the Westchester Rockland VMA.

Dr. Zymet served as a captain in the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary. He is survived by his wife, Barbara; two sons and a daughter; and three grandchildren. Memorials may be made to Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, Box 39, 930 Campus Road, Ithaca, NY 14853.