Stephen G. Hastings, DVM, age 90, of Chelsea, MI, passed away peacefully on December 21, 2024 at his home in Lyndon Twp, MI surrounded by loved ones.
Steve grew up in Oradell, New Jersey, where he developed a love for animals and academics early on. He went to Rutgers University for his undergrad at the young age of sixteen, where he was a letter winner on the Scarlet Knights soccer team in 1952. Steve went on to get his VMD at the University of Pennsylvania, and then his Master of Science in Radiology and Radiation Biology at Colorado State, as well as his Master of Philosophy. He began his career in Wyoming as the Deputy State Veterinarian in 1958, where he worked on ranches and specialized in artificial insemination, a field that reflected his dedication to innovation in animal care. He had twelve years of experience in cardiovascular research at Parke Davis & Company. He used his cardiovascular research background to start his own privately owned research facility, Dexter Institute for Cardiovascular Research. In 1962, he relocated to Washtenaw County, MI, and then founded the Dexter Animal Clinic in 1975, where he cared for animals with compassion until his retirement in 1999.
A true lover of nature and the outdoors, Steve found joy in tending to his beautiful property where he fed a variety of birds, cultivated dahlia and lily gardens, and welcomed deer that wandered up to his home. Steve was a generous and fair man, as well as very knowledgeable in many fields. He enjoyed reading everything about WWII. He had a brilliant mind and had a talent for working with computers. He found joy in old John Deere tractors. He was adventurous, and enjoyed traveling across Europe. He found a home away from home in Maryland sailing on his sailboat, the Spanish Mood, across the Chesapeake Bay.
Most of all, Steve was immensely proud of his children and grandchildren, and saw them as his greatest accomplishment. Steve is survived by four children, Mike (Kathleen) Hastings of Texas, Greg Hastings of Chelsea, Laurie (Brian) Terhune of Traverse City, and Nancy (Dan) Pagliarini of Chelsea; also nine grandchildren, and eleven great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by two brothers, Jim Hastings and Pete Hastings, the mother of his children, Joanne Sherbak, and his special companion, Micki Baughn.
All services will be private. Those wishing to make a memorial contribution in Steve's name may do so to the National Wildlife Federation.
Arrangements by Staffan-Mitchell Funeral Home, Chelsea.
