Community mourns loss of Dr. Stephen Perrine Dey

BY JANE MEGGITT Correspondent

 Dr. Stephen Perrine Dey, of Upper Freehold, passed away Feb. 28 at the age of 74. He ran his equine veterinary practice out of Heritage Hill Farm. Dr. Stephen Perrine Dey, of Upper Freehold, passed away Feb. 28 at the age of 74. He ran his equine veterinary practice out of Heritage Hill Farm. UPPER FREEHOLD — Friends, colleagues, clients and fellow township residents shared memories of Dr. Stephen “Steve” Perrine Dey, who passed away unexpectedly Feb. 28 at the age of 74.

A lifelong resident, Dey ran his equine veterinary practice out of Heritage Hill Farm, a 505-acre property permanently preserved as farmland. At the time of his death, he was chairman of the Freehold Township Board of Health, president of the Horse Park of New Jersey, and served on the township’s Economic Development Council. He formerly served as president of the state Board of Agriculture, chairman of the New Jersey Equine Advisory Board, vice president of the Watershed 20 Management Area, member of the advisory board of the Equine Science Center of Rutgers, and president of the Board of Managers of the N.J. Agricultural Experiment Station. Dey was also a lifelong member of the Allentown Presbyterian Church.

Ramona Truncer, Allentown, knew Dey since kindergarten. Back then, everyone knew him as Perrine and for the birthday parties his family threw each November for him and his twin sister Mary. Truncer said the family invited all the local children to the farm for the afternoon party and to stay for supper.

Mary Clark, Allentown, taught Dey in the sixth grade.

“He was very bright, very talkative,” Clark said. “I always enjoyed him.”

Dr. Scott Palmer, owner of New Jersey Equine Clinic in Millstone, said Dey was like the Energizer Bunny, staying busy as his sons took over his veterinary practice.

“He was a tireless advocate for the horse and New Jersey agriculture,” Palmer said. “He put his heart and soul into the horse park.”

Palmer said Dey was a strategic planner and fundraiser for the horse park and was, for all practical purposes, the head of the maintenance crew.

“I would often find him over there in the afternoons, working on a piece of farm equipment or digging a trench from one of the arenas to improve the drainage,” Palmer said. “Steve considered it a matter of personal pride to give back to his community that had given him so much. I will miss Steve very much, but his enthusiasm and dedication for the horse and for New Jersey agriculture will continue to inspire all of us whose lives were touched by him long after his passing.”

Veterinarian Diane Simoncini, Upper Freehold, started working for Dey as a veterinary assistant.

“Dr. Dey took me under his wing for a year,” Simoncini said. “He made sure I knew exactly what I was getting into — the good and the bad about equine practice.”

Simoncini said Dey loved being an equine veterinarian and taught her more than she could have learned in veterinary school.

“This knowledge helped me in practice and my current position as track veterinarian,” she said. “Yes, I did get into vet school with the help of Dr. Dey, and he celebrated with me when I was accepted into his alma mater — Cornell University. I was the first in my vet school class to have a job in equine practice waiting for me from day one of vet school. I was inspired by his ethics, by his professionalism, dedication and expertise. I strove to be that same kind of veterinarian. He was my mentor and my friend.”

Veterinarian Mike Ochsner, Millstone, worked with Dey after joining Dey Equine Veterinarians in 2004.

“Dr. Dey’s skills were legendary and his willingness to impart his knowledge to me as a young practitioner were traits of his character that I will cherish forever,” Ochsner said. “He selflessly gave so much of himself for the things that he cared about the most— horses and New Jersey agriculture. It will take more than one man to fill the shoes of Dr. Dey. I hope all horse people will share his passion for the equine industry and give their time or resources to continue many of the endeavors which Dr. Dey pursued.”

David W. Horsnall, former mayor of Upper Freehold, watched Dey’s truck crisscross the community for years as he went from farm to farm to help his patients.

“Whenever I would see him in his truck I would wave and he always waved back,” Horsnall said. “He must have been worn out just waving to all who recognized him as he drove around the town.”

Horsnall said Dey and his wife, Liz, supported many programs in the community, including building Hope Fire Company’s new fire station, and contributing to the emergency response organizations when incidents involved animals.

“He sang with the choir of the Presbyterian Church inAllentown, and I will always look for his truck parked at the entrance of the school driveway on Sunday mornings as I pass through town on my way to Crosswicks,” Horsnall said. “Those memories come to be pictures in the mind and it is why, how we never forget.”

Veterinarian Kathleen Stryeski, Upper Freehold, said Dey served as chairman of the Upper Freehold Township Board of Health for many years and helped to create policies and regulations that protected the rural nature of the township.

“We will all miss his enthusiasm and contributions that he made to our township,” Stryeski said. “He made our community a better place to live.”

Fred Kniesler, another former mayor of Upper Freehold, always thought of Dey as a township fixture.

“Having known his parents and having been to his and Liz’s wedding there was a feeling that he was a permanent part of our community,” Kniesler said. “He used to chide me about my political involvement, and was a fellow cast member in the local production of the musical ‘1776.’ He was never afraid to speak out on critical township issues He will truly be missed.”

Anthony Perretti, Upper Freehold, got to know Dey and his sons in the last nine years after returning from Los Angeles to help his dad with Perretti Farms.

“They have always been very supportive, especially with the current climate at the Meadowlands, and always took the time out of their extremely busy schedule to help, personally and financially. I personally owe the Dey family gratitude for getting me up to speed of running a family standardbred breeding operation. Coming from the film business in L.A., I did not have a clue.”

Mark Mullen, manager of Fair Winds Farm in Upper Freehold, said, “Doc Dey was one of the founders of standardbred breeding centered right here in the Allentown area. Very active in all breeds and respected, he was a legendary personality in the equine and agricultural community. With his knowledge and experience, he was always a great person to go to for help and advice. He’ll be missed by all.”