Stephen C. Jaffe DVM

Stephen Charles Jaffe, 82, of Wilmington, North Carolina, passed away peacefully in the presence of his wife and son after a brief illness on June 26. What follows is a woefully incomplete accounting of his life.
Steve was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on January 18, 1942, and grew up between Brooklyn and Cold Spring, New York. He was a graduate of the University of Delaware (B.S.), the University of Missouri-Columbia (M.S.), and the Western College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan (DVM).
Prior to veterinary school, Steve served his country with honor as a lieutenant in the United States Navy aboard both the U.S.S. Safeguard and a river patrol boat during the Vietnam War.
Following his active military service, Steve served as assistant director of the William Land Park Zoo in Sacramento, California, and, after earning his DVM, as curator and veterinarian at the Philadelphia Zoological Garden. Then his family moved south, and by the early 1980s he'd found a home at Needham Animal Hospital, where he worked for nearly 40 years in Carolina Beach and Wilmington. Steve was a member of the North Carolina Veterinary Medical Association, a life member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, and for 14 years the treasurer of the North Carolina Academy of Small Animal Medicine.
Caring for animals was never just a job for Steve. From treating injured wildlife to lending a hand at the Stables at Poplar Grove, he was always generous with his time, always ready to help animals in need.
Thus many creatures found themselves temporary or permanent residents of the Jaffe household over the years, including, in no particular order: innumerable stray cats; a coyote, a dingo, and a hound dog; a crow, an owl, several pelicans, and a chicken who laid only soft eggs; a couple of loggerhead sea turtles, a python, a raccoon, a squirrel, a grizzly bear (only a cub), and God only knows what else.
Beyond his work as a veterinarian, Steve had an insatiable curiosity about science, nature, history, languages, culture, food and the list goes on. Only a week before he went into the hospital, this 82-year-old had returned from a solo expedition to rural Illinois in search of the best, most cacophonous spot to experience this year's cicada broods hatching. That was quintessential Steve Jaffe.
He was an active and enthusiastic member of too many organizations to count over the years. More recently they included Canines for Service, where he served on the board of directors, Brunswick Search and Rescue, the North Carolina Composting Council, and local chapters of the Navy League, the Vietnam Veterans of America, the American Legion, and the Military Officers Association of America.
And speaking of active, Steve for many years was a member of Cape Fear Lacrosse and Cape Fear Rugby, which he and his aching hips eventually transitioned out of in favor of darts, disc golf, and his beloved bocce.
There's much, much more that could be said about Steve. And there will be. But for now, just know this: He loved his family and friends. He loved animals and nature. And he loved his country. He was a good man, a truly unique man. A pathological punner, a crossword maven, an oyster-eating legend, an adventurer to the last.
He will be missed dearly by family and friends near and far, by his colleagues at Needham Animal Hospital, by his bocce buddies, his Thursday Night Boys' Club, his brothers and sisters in the veterans organizations mentioned above, and too many others to count.
Steve was preceded in death by his mother, Mimi Jaffe, and father, Alfred Irving Jaffe. He is survived by his loving wife of 54 years, Ingrid Danapel Jaffe, his son, Anthony Emile Bernard Jaffe (Elizabeth Anne Gregory Jaffe), his sister, Ronnie Sue Jaffe (Geoffrey Gibson), his brother-in-law Uwe Danapel (Tetiana Danapel), his sister-in-law Ute Danapel, and his beloved cats Kevin and Little Marie.
A celebration of life will be held in Wilmington, on a date to be announced later.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Steve's name may be made to Canines for Service HERE, The Stables at Poplar Grove HERE, or any other organization dedicated to animals or veterans.
Funeral arrangements are entrusted to Wilmington Funeral & Cremation Service. Please leave condolence messages for Stephen's family on his Tribute Wall at www.wilmingtoncares.com