Seven Veterinarians Remembered: AVMA Deaths Announced for November 2026

The AVMA's November 5, 2026 memorial notice records the deaths of seven veterinarians whose careers stretched from Chilean graduate Esteban Baeza, 62, to 93-year-old Pennsylvania '59 graduate Dr. Robert H. Reese. The seven practiced across companion-animal clinics, equine racetracks, swine consulting, primate research and pharmaceutical development. Several of their children and siblings also carried veterinary degrees.

Who are the practitioners being remembered?

Dr. Esteban Baeza, 62, of Bensalem, Pennsylvania, died September 9, 2026. A 1992 graduate of the University of Concepcion in Chile, he owned Street Road Animal Hospital in Trevose, Pennsylvania, for more than 34 years. His wife, Brittany, two daughters and two sisters survive him.

Dr. Ronald Jerry Black (Auburn '68), 83, of San Antonio, died June 19, 2026. He served as a captain in the Air Force Veterinary Corps after graduation, then owned an ambulatory and hospital equine practice in San Antonio. He worked as a racetrack veterinarian at the former Downs at Santa Fe in New Mexico, Louisiana Downs in Bossier City, Louisiana, and Retama Park in San Antonio. A daughter and two grandchildren survive him. Memorials may go to the American Diabetes Association, P.O. Box 7023, Merrifield, VA 22116.

Dr. Richard Dunn Collins (Iowa State '70), 80, of Three Lakes, Wisconsin, died July 31, 2026. He partnered at Dixon Veterinary Hospital in Dixon, Illinois, for 35 years, then established Hog Wild Health, a swine consultation practice, and retired in 2016. He belonged to the American Association of Swine Veterinarians and the Illinois State VMA, and served on the boards of the Lee County Pork Producers and the Sauk Valley Community College Foundation. His wife, Catherine, four children, seven grandchildren and a great-grandchild survive him, along with his brother, Dr. James Collins (Iowa State '60); their father, Dr. Clay Collins, was also a veterinarian. Memorials may go to the Dementia Society of America, P.O. Box 600, Doylestown, PA 18901.

What academic and industry careers appear on the list?

Dr. Kevin T. Schultz (Purdue '76), 74, of Dawsonville, Georgia, died August 15, 2026, with the widest-ranging record of the group. He practiced mixed animal medicine in Dodge City, Kansas, then held a research fellowship at Harvard University and worked at its T.H. Chan School of Public Health. In 1987 he joined the University of Wisconsin-Madison's National Primate Research Center as an associate scientist, later becoming a professor in the Department of Pathobiological Sciences at the School of Veterinary Medicine.

His industry career included roles as executive director of development projects and then executive director and area head for worldwide animal science and research development at Merck, followed by vice president for pharmaceutical research and development and chief scientific officer and head of global research and development at Merial. He later founded a consulting firm and served as chief science officer for several companies, including Kindred Biosciences and Bocado Treats. He edited the Journal of Invertebrate Pathology and belonged to the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Association of Veterinary Immunologists, the American Association of Immunologists and the American Academy of Veterinary Dermatology. His wife, Melanie, two sons, a daughter, six grandchildren, and a sister and brother survive him.

Dr. Robert Ray Paddleford (Missouri '70), 80, of Rockford, Tennessee, died July 26, 2026. A diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia (ACVAA) and the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care, he owned Volunteer Veterinary Anesthesia Consulting Service in Rockford. He spent several years as associate professor and director of anesthesia services at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine and authored the textbook "Manual of Small Animal Anesthesia." From 1984 to 2003 he represented the ACVAA on the AVMA's American Board of Veterinary Specialties. His wife and family survive him.

What public-service and food-animal roles are honored?

Dr. Michael R. Wirtz (Texas A&M '70), 80, of Brenham, Texas, died September 8, 2026. He founded Washington Animal Clinic, a mixed animal practice in Brenham, and owned TZ Cattle Company there. He served as an emergency veterinary medical officer with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, focusing on foot-and-mouth disease, and was an adjunct professor at Texas A&M University with involvement in its National Emergency Response and Rescue Training Center.

He was a past president of the Bluebonnet Area VMA, sat on the Texas VMA board of directors, and served on committees of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, and Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. His wife, Anne, a son and a daughter, four grandchildren and a sister survive him. Memorials may go to Samaritan's Purse, P.O. Box 3000, Boone, NC 28607.

Dr. Robert H. Reese (Pennsylvania '59), 93, of Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, died October 6, 2026. He worked in Lock Haven after graduation, established a mixed animal practice in Dunnstown, and in 1974 founded Susque Valley Animal Hospital, a small animal practice in Lock Haven, while continuing to care for area horses. He later practiced at Pine Creek Veterinary Associates in Lock Haven and raised and showed Quarter Horses. A Marine Corps veteran, he is survived by his wife, Sandy, two daughters and a son, 10 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. His son, Dr. Robert D. Reese (Kansas State '90), is also a veterinarian. Memorials may go to the Clinton County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, 33 Mill Hill Road, Lock Haven, PA 17745.

How can colleagues report a death to AVMA News?

AVMA News accepts death reports by toll-free phone at 800-248-2862, ext. 6754; by email at [email protected]; or by fax at 847-925-9329. Obituaries must reach AVMA News within six months of the date of death to be published. The American Veterinary Medical Foundation, the AVMA's charitable arm, maintains additional information on memorializing colleagues' professional lives and legacies on its website.