Laurel Pinales

LAUREL PINALES DVM, HOULTON – Last week, my sister, Laurel Pinales, died. To many of you in Houlton, she was Dr. Pinales, their veterinarian. She and her husband, Sylvio Raymond, moved to Houlton (where he was originally from ) about 30 years ago from the suburbs in Detroit. Never having lived in a small town, Laurel was anxious that she would not be accepted. That fear was never realized. Laurel, or Dr. Pinales became a part of Houlton and a warm resource to all the animals that visited her clinic. She doted on, was concerned about, and took late night phone calls on each dog or cat that walked in the door for a wound or an illness, major or minor.
Before Laurel died, we talked about where she would be buried. I offered her the family plot near me in Chicago. But there was no question. She wanted to return to Houlton. On Monday, October 15th from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the American Legion Hall located at 184 Bangor Street, we will have a memorial service for Dr. Pinales. We will celebrate her journey, curing pets and advising their families over so many years. If you have pictures to share or stories to tell, please bring them. Her son, Peter Gutenberg, her stepson, Tim Raymond, and I will contribute our memories and welcome yours.