Obituary of Derrell Henry Guiles

Derrell Henry Guiles, DVM, was born on September 15, 1921 and passed away on May 3, 2017 at the ripe old age of 95.Derrell, the second of five children of Ralph Henry Guiles and Madge Guiles, was born and raised in the community of Baker, which is located between Weatherford and Cresson and was home to some of this area’s earliest settlers. Derrell attended primary school in the one-room Baker schoolhouse and graduated from Weatherford High School.A proud Aggie, he attended Texas A&M University as an undergraduate, and the Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine. Derrell served in the Army Air Force during WW II and the Korean War. After the wars he was one of the King of Saudi Arabia’s equine veterinarians, and his two sons were born in Saudi.After returning to the USA Derrell turned to small-animal practice at the Wedgewood Animal Hospital and eventually had his own practice at the South Freeway Animal Hospital. He worked long hours and was a dedicated and compassionate vet that would never refuse treatment to an animal, and often accepted barter such as produce for payment. He retired from practice in the early 1990s. Derrell was a great gardener – his tomatoes were delicious – and enjoyed betting on horse racing, and was an avid ballroom dancer.Derrell was predeceased by all his siblings: Maurice, Mildred, Thurman, and Fenton. He also outlived three ex-wives (he joked that they couldn’t live without him).Special thanks to the staff at Stonegate Nursing Center and to Kindred Hospice – particularly Peggy, Derrell’s hospice nurse – for their compassionate care.He is survived by his children, Thomas Guiles and wife Toni, Mark Guiles, Laura Ellen Guiles Shields and husband, Tom; and grandchildren, Erin Shields and Allison Shields.