Steven Gilbertson, DVM

It is with deep sadness that we share the passing of Steven R. Gilbertson on February 3, 2021.

He was born in Minneapolis, MN on November 30, 1946 to the late Ronald Gilbertson (Hazel) and Joyce McDonald (Larry).

He graduated from Bloomington High School, Bloomington, MN in 1964. He graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1970 with a Doctor’s Degree in Veterinary Medicine. Steve was a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists (ACVP) and a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA).

He served as captain in the U.S. Army at Ft. Detrick, Maryland at the U. S. Army Institute of Infectious Diseases from 1970 to 1973.

From 1973 to1976, he was awarded a residency at the Animal Medical Center in New York City. From 1977 to 1979, he headed the Animal Pathology Lab at Sloan Kettering Institute in New York City.

Starting in 1979 and continuing until 1989, he worked at the Animal Medical Center as staff and clinical pathologist. During this time, he co-founded Cen-Vet Laboratories where he was vice president until 1994. After Cen-Vet was sold to VCA/ Antech, he was Senior Staff Pathologist at Antech until 2007.

Dr. S.R. Gilbertson authored and co-authored several case reports and research studies in the field of veterinary pathology and veterinary medicine. One notable contribution was his work on canine mammary neoplasia and a paper he published with his colleagues I.D. Kurzman, R.E Zachrau, A.I. Hurvitz, and M.M. Black in 1983, entitled “Canine Mammary Epithelial Neoplasms: Biologic Implications of Morphologic Characteristics Assessed in 232 Dogs.”

He is survived by his wife, Jenny Cordero, who he fondly called JP. They both retired in 2009 in the Adirondacks with the loving companionship of their pets. Steve had an intense love of English Springer Spaniels during his life. Fishing and hunting were his major passions throughout his life and in retirement, he traveled extensively to Europe, South America, Southeast Asia, and the U.S. National Parks. He was always a devoted Minnesota Vikings fan.

He is survived by his siblings, Joyce “Pepper” Gilbertson (Pete), Drew Dammen (Diane), Mark Gilbertson (Brenda), and Leslie Bonshire (Reid), Sister-in-Law Esther Cordero Lunn (Julius), and nieces, nephews, cousins and other relatives.

Memorial Services will be in the Twin Cities and announced at a later date. Interment will be at Fort Snelling National Cemetery. Memorials can be directed to the Minnesota Animal Humane Society.