05/28/2026
If you are VMAA member with an email here is the May 2026 newsletter updates you will be receiving. Bequest of $10,000 was given to VMAA to distribute as two $5000 scholarships -May 2026
Roger S. Boone, DVM – Class of 1962 In memory 1935-2025
Submitted By daughter Joyce Karrfalt
How do you talk about the life of a man who lived to be almost 90 years when there are so many interesting layers to share? I will begin by saying he was a man of solid character, extreme integrity and ethics, and always had a story to share. Dr. RS Boone, or “Doc” as he was so affectionately known, was my dad.
My dad grew up in Hammond, Indiana, the son of teachers who valued education as a must have in order to provide but also to give back. Going to college was expected. The family homestead was located in Southern Indiana so weekends and summers were spent there taking care of the land and animals which provided the heart of why my dad chose to go into veterinary medicine. At the time, Purdue did not have a vet school so it was Iowa State where he landed to embark on this journey. He obtained his undergrad in animal husbandry and then it took two tries to get into his doctoral program. He always said he was a pretty average student who required a lot of tutoring!
Somewhere in there he met my mom on a blind date and was smitten to no end. When they finally married, he had a couple years of school left so they lived in Pammel Court- married housing- which apparently was quite the experience. They always said anything from there was uphill! Once dad graduated, he served his two years in the Army in Mineral Wells, TX. He was an officer and served as the post veterinarian. Once out of the army in 1964/65, he and my mom decided to settle and set up practice in New Albany, IN, just a short distance from the family farm. They bought an old three-sided motor lodge and proceeded to make that his first clinic. The middle section had burned at some point before acquisition and that is where he set up the outdoor kennels. He worked out of that place for almost 10 years before he was able to realize his dream of building a new clinic. But once he did, that was our home away from home until his retirement in 2000.
Building his practice was not only a labor of love from a facility standpoint, but it was vital to get out into the community to build relationships. He joined several civic organizations and volunteered with numerous organizations as a way to “get his name out there” but also to give back. He served on boards as well as within the Indiana Veterinary Medical Association and at some point, he even had a role on an ethics committee. In addition to all these activities, my dad spent his days off working on the family farm, taking care of his cattle and the land while also taking care of the neighbors’ livestock especially in an emergency. Every day was filled with hard work and dedication to his family, his clients, his neighbors, and to his commitments.
Growing up the kid of a veterinarian, our lives were forever intertwined with that influence. Every night at dinner, we received an anatomy lesson on what was on our plate along with everything you could catch if it wasn’t cooked properly. Kennel work was a given first job as soon as you were old enough to take on the responsibility. Assisting with surgery cases when mom couldn’t be there was expected, unless you were the kid who passed out when you saw the blood and guts of the spay taking place. Working the annual “rabies clinic” was a sure thing as well as digging a few graves when he told clients he would bury Fido for them. And because he took care of the local PD K-9 units, you for sure never wanted to get into trouble because he would be the first call if so! And all our summer vacations (camping usually!) revolved around trips to the AVMA conventions where we experienced a much bigger world than our hometown afforded. My siblings and I didn’t really realize until later in life how much we were positively influenced by the career choice our dad had made.
Probably my dad’s most favorite part of being a veterinarian revolved around his passion for lifelong learning. While he always said he wasn’t the best of students grade wise, he certainly made up for this throughout his career in learning new surgical techniques that he could utilize. Books were always around with case studies and diagrams outlined -layered with legal pads full of notes. He couldn’t get enough of it!! These moments
coupled with his continuing education classes, he was always energized when he had the opportunity to improve the life of an animal by trying out a new procedure.
While my dad was the one who saw the patients and built the relationships on the front end, I would be horribly remiss if I didn’t share how important being part of a team kept the practice running smoothly and productively. My mom was such a trooper as the practice was just as much hers as it was my dad’s. She was the glue that held it all together; ensuring bills were paid, collections received, computers ran, the stock room was full, office hours were kept, employees were paid, and if a kennel kid didn’t show up, the cages were clean twice a day. They had an interesting dance, one I don’t think my mom had envisioned when they met decades before, but it worked and as a family, we were all in it together.
My parent’s retired in 2000, and surprisingly, very easily let go of the professional life they had worked so hard to establish. They traveled and enjoyed so much that their busy lives were not allowed for while running the practice. However, for another 10 years or so my dad still had his cattle to tend to and then continued to work his farmland until the day he passed away- literally. When he didn’t come home for dinner that night, we knew he had been down at the farm mowing that day. We found him in his tractor, under his deer stand, taking his final nap. My dad, Doc Boone, had lived a life full of dedication, passion, integrity, and love for his Lord, his family and his work. I was so proud to be his kid and can only hope that I live that I leave behind a similar legacy. Submitted with love, Daughter Joyce Karrfalt
