In Memory – Feb. 16, 2023

Edward E. Amende

Dr. Amende (California-Davis ’60), 93, Bozeman, Montana, died Nov. 13, 2022. He owned a bovine practice for more than 40 years. During that time, Dr. Amende served several dairies in the Chino Valley area of California. He was a Navy veteran of the Korean War. Dr. Amende is survived by his wife, Jan; two daughters, two stepdaughters, and a stepson; three grandchildren and seven stepgrandchildren; and a sister.

Marshall H. Beleau

Dr. Beleau (Texas A&M ’67), 80, Rio Rancho, New Mexico, died Dec. 23, 2022. Following graduation, he served 11 years in the U.S. Air Force. During that time, he was an area veterinarian at the USAF Hospital in Tachikawa, Japan; served as base veterinarian at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi; earned his master’s in aquatic animal medicine from the Air Force Institute of Technology; and worked as a research veterinarian in the Navy Marine Mammal Program at the Naval Ocean Systems Center in San Diego.

Subsequent to his service in the Air Force, Dr. Beleau was a research scientist and professor in the former Department of Fishery Resources at the University of Idaho in Moscow and in the Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine’s former Aquatic Animal Health Laboratory in Stoneville. He later worked for Abbott Laboratories in Chicago, researching and developing products for animal health.

A diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, Dr. Beleau was certified as a fish pathologist by the American Fisheries Society Fish Health Section and was a life member of the International Association for Aquatic Animal Medicine. He is survived by his wife, Dr. Marilyn Chimes (Michigan State ’79); two sons; three grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

Gerald W. Benz

Dr. Benz (Purdue ’63), 85, Durham, North Carolina, died Jan. 18, 2023. Following graduation and after earning a doctorate in veterinary parasitology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, he taught and conducted research at Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine. In 1980, Dr. Benz joined Merck’s research laboratories in New Jersey as director of clinical research. His tenure included work with ivermectin, an antiparasitic drug used in livestock, and in treating river blindness in developing nations.

Dr. Benz retired in 1993. His two children and their families survive him. Memorials may be made to the Gerald W. Benz and Joan L. Benz Scholarship Endowment, Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine, 625 Harrison St., West Lafayette, IN 47906.

Clayton J. Cobb

Dr. Cobb (Texas A&M ’16), 35, Fort Worth, Texas, died Dec. 13, 2022. He worked for Lap of Love, a mobile practice dedicated to end-of-life care for companion animals nationwide. Earlier, Dr. Cobb practiced at River Valley Veterinary Clinic in Hugo, Oklahoma, and assisted in the establishment of the veterinary school at Texas Tech University. He was a member of the Texas VMA. Dr. Cobb is survived by his parents and two brothers. Memorials may be made to the Texas Veterinary Medical Foundation, 8104 Exchange Drive, Austin, TX 78754.

Richard E. Faivre

Dr. Faivre (Minnesota ’66), 85, Eitzen, Minnesota, died Jan. 10, 2023. Following graduation, he practiced for 15 years in Caledonia, Michigan. Dr. Faivre subsequently established a practice in the Caledonia-Eitzen area, where he worked for 35 years prior to retirement in 2016. His four daughters, six grandchildren, and a sister survive him.

Eve C. Gerome

Dr. Gerome (Texas A&M ’85), 66, Ivanhoe, Texas, died Jan. 21, 2023. She most recently worked as a relief veterinarian. Earlier in her career, Dr. Gerome owned a practice in Bonham, Texas, where she initially practiced mixed animal medicine, focusing later on small animals. Her husband, Jerry, and two brothers and a sister survive her. Memorials may be made to the Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758516, Topeka, KS 66675; St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105; or Caldwell Zoo, 2203 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Tyler, TX 75702.

Alfred D. Harper Jr.

Dr. Harper (California-Davis ’81), 67, Stephenville, Texas, died Jan. 2, 2023. He was the founder of Integrated Dairy Services, a dairy practice in Dublin, Texas. Dr. Harper also owned Veterinarian’s Outlet in Dublin, providing products and services to the dairy industry. He was a member of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners. In 2006, the AABP honored Dr. Harper with the Excellence in Preventive Medicine Dairy Award. His wife, Valerie; two sons and a daughter; two grandchildren; and three brothers and a sister survive him.

Memorials may be made to the University of California-Davis Foundation, with the memo line of the check notated to Fund Allocation #342070, and sent to University of California-Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, Office of Advancement, P.O. Box 1167, Davis, CA 95617.

William P. Koelsch

Dr. Koelsch (Michigan State ’69), 77, Frostproof, Florida, died July 18, 2022. He owned Ark Animal Hospital in Pinconning, Michigan, prior to retirement. Earlier, Dr. Koelsch owned Rose City Veterinary Clinic in Rose City, Michigan. During his career, he also served as a relief veterinarian and was active with the Bay County Humane Society and with veterinary mission work.

Dr. Koelsch was a past president of the Saginaw Valley VMA and served on the former AVMA Committee on Public Relations. He also served on the Pinconning School Board for nine years. Dr. Koelsch’s wife, Pamela; two daughters; and three grandchildren survive him.

Douglas G. LeMay

Dr. LeMay (Minnesota ’87), 62, Roseville, Minnesota, died Oct. 3, 2022. He owned Family Animal Hospital in Fridley, Minnesota, for 20 years. Certified in animal hospice and palliative care, Dr. LeMay later established Pet Hospice Mn, an in-home hospice practice. He was also a staff veterinarian at Banfield Animal Hospital in Woodbury, Minnesota.

Dr. LeMay served nearly 20 years as a volunteer firefighter in Falcon Heights, Minnesota. He is survived by his wife, Lisa; three sons; his mother; and two brothers. Memorials may be made to the International Association for Animal Hospice and Palliative Care, c/o IAAHPC treasurer, 23 Maltbie Ave., Stamford, CT 06902.

Sarah E. Levitz

Dr. Levitz (Edinburgh ’16), 34, Miami, died Jan. 18, 2023. She was an emergency veterinarian at Southeast Veterinary Referral Center/The Pet Emergency Room in Miami. Earlier, Dr. Levitz practiced at Banfield Pet Hospital in Miami, worked at Knowles Animal Hospital in Miami, and served as a relief veterinarian in London.

During her career, she earned a master’s in veterinary preventive medicine from the University of London’s Royal Veterinary College and a master’s in public health from the University of London’s London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. She also served as a lead researcher for schistosomiasis in eastern Africa in collaboration with London’s Natural History Museum.

Dr. Levitz is survived by her parents and a sister. Memorials may be made to The Cat Network, P.O. Box 347228, Miami, FL 33234.

Gary L. Mallo

Dr. Mallo (Iowa State ’60), 87, Grand Detour, Illinois, died Jan. 13, 2023. Following graduation, he worked at Riser Animal Hospital in Skokie, Illinois. Dr. Mallo subsequently taught at Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine. He went on to own Geneva Animal Hospital in Geneva, Illinois, and St. Charles Veterinary Clinic in St. Charles, Illinois, prior to retirement.

Dr. Mallo is survived by his wife, Penny; two sons and two daughters; eight grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. Memorials may be made to Serenity Hospice & Home, 1658 S. Illinois Route 2, Oregon, IL 61061, or Gianna’s House Pregnancy Resource Center, 700 10th Ave., Rock Falls, IL 61071.

Thomas W. Myers

Dr. Myers (Illinois ’71), 77, New Holstein, Wisconsin, died Nov. 30, 2022. A mixed animal veterinarian, he practiced for 28 years at St. Anna Veterinary Clinic in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, where he focused on dairy medicine. Dr. Myers was certified in veterinary acupuncture. He retired in 1999.

Dr. Myers was a member of the Wisconsin VMA and the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society. His wife, Joelle; two children and three stepchildren; and nine grandchildren survive him.

Frank A. Ramsey

Dr. Ramsey (Texas A&M ’54), 93, College Station, Texas, died Nov. 18, 2022. Following graduation, he joined the Army Veterinary Corps as a first lieutenant, retiring in 1985 as a brigadier general. During that time, Dr. Ramsey was involved with food quality and public health, graduated from the Army Command and General Staff College and the Army War College, and served as chief of the veterinary corps for five years. He is survived by two sons, his grandchildren, and his great-grandchildren.

Paul A. Wardin

Dr. Wardin (Michigan State ’93), 55, Bath, Michigan, died Jan. 8, 2023. Following graduation, he joined Waupun Veterinary Service in Waupun, Wisconsin. Dr. Wardin subsequently became a partner in the practice, working as a dairy veterinarian and focusing on embryo transfers. In 2014, he moved to Michigan to work for GGS Genetics in Dewitt. From 2018 until retirement in 2022, Dr. Wardin owned Great Lakes Embryo Transfer in Bath. During that time, he also worked part time for Clinton Veterinary Service in St. Johns, Michigan.

Dr. Wardin is survived by his wife, Heidi; a daughter and a son; his mother; and three sisters. Memorials may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105, or to St. Luke Lutheran Church, 5589 Van Atta Road, Haslett, MI 48840.

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