
03/13/2025
Just last week it has been a year since we said goodbye to our founder Dr. Lynn P. Martin. Our memories are good and the echos of Doc run through my head daily. A favorite, when I told him I wasn’t looking forward to removing the wallpaper in room 6 and 7(also known as our vintage room), he asked me why I would ever remove perfectly good wallpaper? Just leave it, so we did. It has been there since the 70’s! I thought of him recently when I walked by the cat room(6) and a little boy was peeling a section over his mom’s shoulder, I smiled and made a note to glue it back to the wall.
After his passing I asked DeMarise if she remembered what the first day was like when they opened. The story was exact. They had the door unlocked and they looked out and saw Karl(spelling?) and Dave Solomon parked on the highway edge. The concrete had just been poured and was not set. They walked across the front yard area, entered, and were treated for vaccinations. Doc kept that first dollar on his desk until he retired.
Doc may be gone, but his legacy of stopping on his walk to work to give a dog his pill, helping to prepare young scouts to be eagles, helping Perry boosters thrive at the Allen County Fair, and mentoring all the youth who went on to work in the veterinary field will not be forgotten. Our memorial wall near the exit brings a smile daily, seeing him standing there with his 2 kids and father as they stand watching and working to construct it is a testament to his love of building for the future. His kids and our kids were blessed to have a Grandpa who shared so much of himself daily. Thanks for the memories and a lifetime of service Doc, job well done good and faithful servant. ❤️🐕🦺