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Robert Walter Avery ’89

January 19, 2022, in Grass Valley, California, from lung cancer.

Rob grew up in Mendocino, California. At Reed, he wrote his thesis, “Physiological and Morphological Identification of Neuroactive Substances in the Nervous System of the Barnacle,” advised by Prof. Frank Gwilliam [biology 1957–96]. He went on to earn a veterinary degree from the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. He worked at the Woodland Veterinary Hospital until he moved his family to Grass Valley, California, where he was an associate vet at For the Love of Pets for six years and then purchased the hospital in 2006, practicing there until he retired following his cancer diagnosis in early 2020.

An avid supporter of the local community, Rob served on the Grass Valley School Board and the board of the local nonprofit Bright Futures for Youth for many years. He started a program providing free vet care for the pets of the local homeless population, and donated time and vet care to the Grass Valley Animal Control Shelter. He enjoyed traveling to Alaska and volunteering as a vet for sled dog races, including the Yukon Quest 1,000 Mile International Sled Dog Race.

Rob is survived by his wife of 30 years, Inger Moeller Avery; his two children, Frithjof and Brita Avery ’18; his stepmother, Amanda Avery; and his sister, Melinda Avery.

Appeared in Reed magazine: September 2022

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