SLOCOMBE, Dr. Joseph Owen Douglas

Dr. Joseph OWEN Douglas Slocombe, DICTA West Indies, DVM Toronto, PhD Cornell
July 27, 1931 - September 19, 2022

Husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, uncle, friend, teacher, dancer, barbershop singer, jokester, and gardener. Owen passed away on a beautiful autumn day, in the garden he loved to tend.

Beloved husband of Justina (Dales) for 59 years and cherished father of son David and partner Audrey Robinson and daughter Arlene and partner Christopher Green and son Duane and fiancee Nancy Metallano. Owen adored his grandchildren Mikayla, Mya and Dezmond Slocombe, Karissa and Marah Laforge, Meadow Wilder, Ivry Green and Aleena Brassard and great grandson Myles Boily. We mourn the loss of a loving, wise, and gentle man and celebrate a life well-lived, blessed with a caring and supportive family, wonderful neighbours and many loyal friends.

Owen was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad, West Indies on July 27, 1931. He was the oldest son of Stanley and Edith (Webb). He was predeceased by his parents and his sister Agnes and is survived by his sister Audrey Varga (St. Catharines, ON), and brother Wellington (Richmond, BC) and In-laws Frank Dales, Moira O’Donoghue, Sheila and Rolph de Gannes, Mary Dales and Anne Dales.

Owen grew up and attended K-12 in Port of Spain Trinidad. In June 1955 he graduated with a Diploma in the Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture. He then earned a scholarship to attend the Ontario Veterinary College of the University of Toronto, in Guelph. He maintained life-long friendships with his classmates of the class of 1961.

A commitment of his scholarship was that he return and serve in his beloved home country of Trinidad and Tobago, and in 1962 met his wife who was visiting in Trinidad and Tobago and they were married in 1963. He then attended Cornell University in Ithaca, New York where he received his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine in 1969. From there, he became a professor at the Veterinary College of the University of Guelph, where he researched and taught until his retirement in 1997.

Owen was a passionate teacher and researcher, and as a professor, he was much loved by his students. His professional achievements were numerous. He is world renowned as “Doctor Heartworm” for his research and advancement of Heartworm pathology and medicine. He was the President of the American Association of the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology in 1991-1992. He was then President of the World Association of the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology from 1991-1995. In 1997 he was conferred an Honorary Membership to the World Association for the Advancement of Parasitology for his distinguished contributions in the field.

In addition to his career responsibilities, Owen had a passion for singing and for supporting the (SPEBSQSA- Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Quartet) Barbershop Singers of Guelph. He participated as a singer within this community for much of his adult life and took on various roles in the organization for which he won great recognition. Including being the first Canadian Chapter bulletin editor to win the award of International Editor of the Year for the Ambassador’s Notes.

A part of his career was his contribution to the design and professionalization of new or emerging Veterinary Colleges. In 1986, Owen received recognition for his involvement with the design of the Atlantic College in PEI. Owen achieved Professor Emeritus in 1998 and continued to mentor students and faculty well into his retirement. But retirement did not suit him when he still had so much to offer. His later life career involved coming out of retirement to follow many requests to establish and professionalize new Veterinary programs into world class institutions: first at Ross University of Veterinary Medicine in St. Kitts; then at The University of West Indies, School of Veterinary Medicine, St Augustine Campus, Trinidad and Tobago; and then at the American University of Antigua Veterinary School. Owen would go on to teach until he was eighty years old and was a favourite among students.

In memory of Owen, sing a song, dance with passion, crack a joke, play cards with family and friends, playfully and lovingly interact with all children, listen deeply, respect everyone around you, be open to other ideas, approach the world as a inquisitive scientist, engage always in Beginner's mind, take pride in your accomplishments, do the best you can in everything, exercise, stretch, sing again...and tend a garden.

The family is grateful for the support of neighbours and first responders and for the loving support received from countless family and friends.

A Celebration of Life will take place at Gilbert MacIntyre and Son Funeral Home- Hart Chapel, 1099 Gordon Street, Guelph. Visitations will be on Friday, September 30, 2022 from 4:00pm-7:00pm and again on Saturday, October 1, 9:30am-10:30am. Everyone is welcome to attend the celebration service which will occur on Saturday, October 1, 2022 at 11:00 am. and the service will also be livestreamed via ZOOM. A reception will take place in the Hart Fellowship Lounge immediately following the service. Guests are encouraged to bring and share stories of Owen at the visitation and reception.

In lieu of flowers donations can be made to The Guelph Outdoor School, Next Child in the Woods Bursaries and the Water Watchers, Water for Life, Not Profit project.