Obituary

It is with deep sadness that the family of Paul Joseph Luddy, DVM, announce his passing on July 28, 2021.  He was 58 years old.

Paul was the fifth of six children born to Vincent and Germaine Luddy.  He was raised in Montgomery County, Maryland, and lived first in Kensington and later in Darnestown, Maryland.  As a young person, he was an avid outdoorsman, and never missed a chance to fish, camp, or just be in the woods.  His love of nature never left him.  After graduation from Seneca Valley High School in Germantown, Maryland, he studied biology at the University of Maryland, College Park, and then went on to receive his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.  Following vet school, he moved to Orange County, California where he established an equine veterinary practice, which he ran for thirty years.  As a practitioner, he was always educating himself on new technologies; he was one of the first vets in California to adopt the use of shockwave therapy.  Yet he never forgot his fundamental training and maintained that for proper diagnosis and treatment, a vet’s best tool was a thorough physical exam.

From his earliest days, Paul loved animals.  As a child, he and his siblings rode horses in Maryland and, as an adult, he raised yellow Labrador Retrievers.  His dogs traveled with him nearly everywhere he went and always had a very special place in his heart.  His kindness, compassion, and astute powers of observation made him an exceptional vet.

Paul was a life-long learner and man of many talents and interests.  He chose science as his profession because of his insatiable curiosity and quest for knowledge.  He made his home by the beach and loved the freedom of swimming in the ocean.  Even though he found himself surrounded by suburbia, his gift for growing plants helped him transform his backyard into an oasis of life.  He never failed to appreciate the majesty of a sunrise or sunset or the bloom of the spring flowers in the California desert.  All his days, Paul remained one with nature, his spirt forever wild and free. And all this he good-heartedly shared with his family and friends.

Paul was preceded in death by his mother.  He is survived by his two children, father, five siblings, four nieces, one nephew, and many, many devoted friends who he considered family.

All who knew Paul will miss his wit and humor, his infectious laugh, the warmth of his hug, the generosity of his spirit.  Most of all, Paul loved his family and friends with all his heart and soul and will be forever loved in return the same way.  God Bless, Dr. Paul Luddy!

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, September 18, 2021 at 11 am in Darnestown, MD.  All are welcome.  In lieu of flowers or donations, please consider planting a tree in honor of Paul’s memory.