David Guitar, DVM, died Sept. 19, 2018 while a patient at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Cleveland, Ohio. He was 72.

Guitar was born on May 2, 1946, in Big Spring, to Repps Bedford and Mary Elizabeth (Hurt) Guitar. He graduated from Cooper High School in Abilene and received a Ranch Management certificate from Texas Christian University in 1966. He continued his education in pre-vet studies at Tarleton State University and Texas A&M University, earning a B.S. from Texas A&M University in 1971. Guitar earned a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Texas A&M in 1972 and also held a PhD from the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

He worked as an associate veterinarian at the Deepwood Veterinarian Centre in Clifton, Va., and at the Monmouth Equine Hospital in Freehold, N.J., before returning to Texas to start the Stafford Oaks Veterinary Hospital in 1973, a practice of over 25 years of dedicated service to many animals, including zoo animals.

Guitar founded Guitar Veterinary Services in 1998 on his ranch in Merkel. He and his wife, Mitzi, concentrated primarily on horses at this time, specializing in equine sports medicine and reproduction.

He was a member of many cattle and equine industry associations, including TSCRA.

Guitar was preceded in death by his parents and one brother, Repps Bedford Guitar Jr. Surviving family include his wife, Mitzi Guitar, of Medina; one daughter, Traci (George) Badine, of California; two grandsons, Keller and Connor Tennison, of California; one sister, Marilyn Guitar Galusha, of Abilene; one brother, Pressley Guitar, of Abilene; and many nephews, nieces, cousins and friends.

Memorials may be made to the “Mitzi and David Guitar Liver Transplant Research Center Fund” at giving.clevelandclinic.org or mail to The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, PO Box 931517, Cleveland, Ohio 44193-1655.