Obituary

David Norman Scarr
(November 19, 1921 - February 16, 2018)

David N. Scarr was born in Newark, New Jersey, the first of four children.  After two years in Newark, the family moved to a small farm ten miles away.  He attended  rural schools until age 14 when the family moved to Hillside, NJ and he went to high school there.  After high school graduation, he attended Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ, where he earned a BS degree in Agriculture with a major in Dairy Technology and Chemistry. He was also Co-Captain of Rutgers Wrestling Team. One month after graduation, he joined the Armed Forces.  After basic training, he was sent to the Army Veterinary Technician School in Washington, DC, and then was assigned to the 222nd General Hospital in Fort Eustis, VA.  He was Honorably Discharged exactly two years later to the day of his induction.  David was then admitted to the College of Veterinary Medicine at Kansas State University and graduated with a DVM Degree in 1946.  One month later, he joined a large animal practice in a small town, West Concord, in southeastern Minnesota.  While there, he met Gert, a local school teacher.  They were married in Mount Vernon, NY in 1948.  They were blessed with five children:  Mark(Dorothy) – Lexington, KY; Don – Woodbridge, VA; Rob(Sandra) - Seattle, WA; Tom(PJ) – Huntington, WV; and Helen – Newton, MA.  They have ten grandchildren, four step-grandchildren, five step-great grandchildren, and one great grandchild.  In 1967 , after 21 years in private practice, the family moved to Fairfax, VA and David worked for the Food and Drug Administration in Washington, DC as a Veterinary  Medical Officer at the Center for Veterinary Medicine.  At the time of retirement, he was Branch Chief of the Food Animal Branch in the Division of Surveillance.  In retirement, he volunteered for many years at the Fairfax County, VA Department of Consumer Affairs and later with Offender Aid and Restoration of Fairfax County, where he mentored prisoners.  In 2008, he and his wife of 64 years, Gertrude, moved into one of the cottages at the Wyngate Senior Living Community in Barboursville, WV near their son Tom.  After two and a half years in the cottage , they moved into the Wyngate Inn Assisted Living to receive the level of care that they required.  David was a member of Temple Rodef Shalom in Falls Church, VA for many years, and B’nai Sholom Congregation in Huntington, WV since 2008.  The Family wishes to thank his many friends who live and work at Wyngate.   A Celebration of his life will be held at a later date.