Dr. John Stephen Gilpin, 76, of Wabash, Indiana, died at 8:30 pm, Monday, November 27, 2017 at his home. He was born August 30, 1941 in Kalamazoo, Michigan to Gerald Merle and Mildred Elaine (Davidson) Gilpin.
Dr. Gilpin graduated from Riley High School in South Bend in 1959. Following his graduation from the Purdue School of Veterinary Medicine in 1966, he practiced small animal medicine and surgery in Illinois, California, and the Highland Animal Hospital in Indiana. During the last 21 years of his career, he was the owner and operator of the Wabash Animal Hospital, retiring in 1996. Dr. Gilpin and Linda (Luedtke) Davis were married on August 6, 1988, in the Merrillville United Methodist Church. He served as captain in the Army Veterinary Corp, serving one year in Vietnam, and was awarded the Bronze Star.
He served two terms on the Board of Directors of the Indiana Veterinary Medical Association, was a member and past president of the Wabash Valley Medical Association, served on the Wabash City Council, the Redevelopment Commission, and the Alcohol and Tobacco Council. He also volunteered at the Honeywell Center. Dr. Gilpin was also a member and past president of the Wabash Kiwanis Club, earning the Distinguished President Award in 1990 and Kiwanian of the Year award in 2010. He was a member of the First United Methodist Church in Wabash, where he sang in the church choir for 28 years, and also served on many church committees. He was a member, past president, and district representative of the Grissom Community Council, and was chosen as an honorary commander of the 434th Air Refueling Wing.
He is survived by his wife, Linda Gilpin of Wabash, two step children, Jeffrey (Diane) Davis of Parker, Colorado, and Diane (Michael) Luce of Brownsburg, Indiana, six step grandchildren, brother David Gilpin of South Bend, Indiana; nieces and nephew, Lynn (Rick) Drzewiecki and Lisa (Dan) Englebert, both of South Bend, and Tom (Elizabeth) Whitmer of Washington. He was preceded in death by his parents, sister and brother-in-law, Jill and John Whitmer.
Memorial services will be 11:00 am Saturday, December 9, 2017 at Wabash First United Methodist Church, 110 N. Cass Street, Wabash with Pastors Kurt Freeman and John Cook officiating. Inurnment will be in the Chapel of Remembrance Mausoleum at Memorial Lawns Cemetery, Wabash. Friends may call 3-7 pm Friday, December 8, 2017, at Grandstaff-Hentgen Funeral Service, 1241 Manchester Avenue, Wabash, and one hour prior to the service Saturday, at the church.
Preferred memorials are the Wabash First United Methodist Church or the American Heart Association.
The memorial guest book for Dr. Gilpin may be signed at www.grandstaff-hentgen.com.