Donald "Don" Townsend Walbert

Donald “Don” Townsend Walbert, DVM, passed away peacefully in his sleep, in the presence of family, on July 4, 2024, at Country Meadows Retirement Community in Frederick, Maryland. He was 94. Don was born on October 19, 1929 in Lewes, Delaware. He was the son of Solomon Startt Walbert and Margaret Elsie (Townsend) Walbert, who were tenant farmers at Broadneck before purchasing the farm at Fairlee in Kent County, on Maryland’s glorious Eastern Shore, after World War II. Don always spoke fondly of his childhood there – hunting, fishing, tractor-plowing the fields, and raising dairy cows. After graduating from the University of Georgia School of Veterinary Medicine in 1954, Don served two years with the U.S. Air Force in Laredo, Texas, where he was base veterinarian and Public Health Officer. After his discharge from the Air Force in 1956, Don opened his veterinary practice in Bladensburg, Maryland – a suburb of Washington, DC – where he practiced for 42 years before retiring in 1998. While practicing in Bladensburg, Don and a group of local veterinarians founded the area’s first emergency veterinary clinic in our nation’s capital. On February 17, 1962, he married a petite, lithe ballet dancer by the name of Margaret Ann Rothermel. They were married for 62 years and dutifully sacrificed their sanity to raise five children – all born within 5 years of each other. Don was very active in both his community and personal life; he was a devoted Rotarian, loved golf, hiking, sailing, gardening, reading, and writing letters. His tomatoes culled from the lush vines and loamy soil of Greenwood Creek had no equal. Anywhere. He loved spending time with his children as they grew, and never turned down a request to play catch or throw a frisbee. He loved classical music and musicals, was imbued with an extraordinary sense of humor, and provided a hearty, infectious laugh at the dinner table when listening to his children recount the collective antics of their day. He also loved the Orioles, and the Colts while they ruled 33rd Street in Baltimore. Don is predeceased by his parents, Solomon and Elsie Walbert, and his sister, Virginia Garner. He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Margaret Ann (Peggy); five children: Tim Walbert (Natalie), Beth Pinder (Michael), Holly Hamann, Andy Walbert (Diana), and Valerie Bodnar; seven grandchildren; and nieces Meg Garner and Joan Kaiser (John). Visitation will be at Fellows, Helfenbein & Newnam Funeral Home, 408 S. Liberty Street, Centreville, MD, on Tuesday, July 16, 2024 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., immediately followed by a funeral service at the same location. Interment will be at Old Wye Church Cemetery, 14114 Old Wye Mills Rd., Wye Mills, MD. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Maryland’s Tuckahoe State Park, one of Don’s very favorite places to hike, reflect, and revel in its simple beauty.

Donald "Don" Townsend Walbert

October 19, 1929 - July 4, 2024