Galloway Village Vet. Hospital owner dies

Tedd A. Hamaker, owner of Galloway Village Veterinary Hospital at 4126 S. Lone Pine Ave., died Aug. 30 after being diagnosed seven months ago with cancer. He was 49.

A media advisory notice was sent Aug. 30 from Community Foundation of the Ozarks' Louise Whall Knauer - a family friend - on behalf of the family.

Hamaker worked as a veterinarian in Springfield for 20 years.

Hamaker graduated from the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine in 1989, worked in private practice for two years in Atlanta, and then returned to Missouri to purchase Springfield Veterinary in 1991. The purchase included the client list and a building at 1213 E. St. Louis, but Hamaker in 2008 decided to move his practice to the Galloway Village location in response to his growing client base. He changed the name of the hospital at the same time, according to Springfield Business Journal coverage.

He is survived by his wife, Crista Hogan; three children, Joe, Lena and Daniel; his stepchildren, Rebecca, Claude and Theo; his grandson, Soren; and his parents, extended family, colleagues and friends.

Stephanie Stenger-Montgomery, a family friend, said Hamaker was a respectable man in all assets of his life - whether it was as a business owner, father, husband or friend.

"He was an extraordinary person who did everything wholeheartedly to the fullest," she said. "His motto was 'practice excellence,' and he did at everything that he did."

Hamaker was a runner and a bicyclist and also loved animals, according to SBJ.

Molly Ramsey, associate veterinarian at Galloway Village, said the hospital will continue to serve its clients.

"We're going to continue to practice excellence, which is really what Dr. Tedd wanted," she said. "This was truly his vision for a veterinary practice.

"We'll continue that in his honor and his memory."

The hospital's Facebook page, which can be found here, has several comments remembering Hamaker for his service to the community.

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