Dr. John R. Jeffrey, D.V.M., 73, of 675 Round Hills Road in Hensonville, NY died Tuesday at Berkshire Medical Center. Born on September 27, 1933 in North Plainfield, NJ he was a son of the late Harold and Beatrice Walter Jeffrey. He was educated in North Plainfield schools and was a 1952 graduate of North Plainfield High School. He attended Oklahoma State University and Cornell University where he received his bachelor of science in agriculture in 1956. In 1957 he entered the United States Army as a ballistic missile supply specialist. He also worked in the Artic as a heavy equipment operator building government radar installations. After saving enough money to continue his education, he returned to Cornell where he earned his doctorate degree in veterinary medicine and surgery in 1963. In 1966 he purchased the Saugerties Animal Hospital, where, in addition to his small animal practice he treated farm animals throughout Ulster County, NY and operated a small beef cattle farm. In 1979, Dr. Jeffrey established the Mountain Top Animal Hospital in Hensonville, NY where he practiced until April of 2006. He diagnosed and published a scientific paper on the first substantiated case of equine diabetes. Dr. Jeffrey was the founder of the Mountain Top Friends of Animals Association; a member of the Farm House Agricultural Fraternity, Omega Tau Sigma Veterinary Fraternity, American Veterinary Medical Association, New York State Veterinary Society and the Hudson Valley Veterinary Society. Besides his love of helping animals he also enjoyed traveling and gardening. He leaves two daughters, Ellie Jeffrey Prett of Dalton, MA and Jenny Jeffrey of Saugerties, NY. A son, Guy Jeffrey also of Saugerties, NY and a brother, David Jeffrey of Lebanon, NJ. He also leaves his former wife, the former Carol Knapp and four grandchildren.

FUNERAL NOTICE: Dr. John R. Jeffrey, D.V.M., 73, died November 7, 2006. A private graveside service will be held in Pittsfield Cemetery. There are no calling hours. He also leaves his four grandchildren, Gilen, Callum, Brock and Alexandria as well as his son-in-law, Giles Prett and his former wife, the former Carol Knapp. He was predeceased by his sister, Carol Jeffrey. Memorial donations in memory of Dr. Jeffrey may be made to the Bluefields Children Scholarship Fund c/o David Elton, 2685 East Minnehaha Avenue, Maplewood, MN 55119. The DERY FUNERAL HOME, 54 Bradford Street, Pittsfield, MA 01201 is in charge of arrangements.