Deceased October 1, 2020
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In Memory
Kevin Kimber, D.V.M., born Sept. 14, 1968, in Minneapolis, died Oct. 1, 2020 at Carlos Avery Woods. He was a father, veterinarian, lifelong learner, athlete, coach and teacher who had a special sense of humor and favored time spent in wild places.
Kevin was the guy you always wanted on your team, whether it was sport or life. I still see him as my partner for our freshman-year Friday-night pre-football-game ritual wrestling matches versus our freshman offensive lineman teammates in Stearns. He was outwardly silly but always deep in thought beneath the smiling exterior.
Kevin’s lifelong love for animals was apparent during his time at Amherst. Dave Smink ’90 recounted Kevin losing his beloved king snake out of his jacket pocket during a flight home to Minnesota. Luckily, it was found and returned to Kevin weeks later. Kevin, like all Amherst students, kept a pig as a pet while living in the dorms.
After Amherst, Kevin attended vet school at Cornell and lived in the Ithaca area for many years. He coached and played hockey until his death. I had the privilege of treating his two children in my sports medicine practice, where it was evident that they possessed the same intelligence and athleticism as their parents, Kevin and Lara Litchfield-Kimber ’92.
David Wolfe ’90 and Rudy Parga ’90 each independently described him as a quiet warrior on the football field: the hulking blond Viking. Kevin’s main battle in life was with depression, possibly made worse by multiple blows to the head as a football and hockey player. True to his quiet demeanor, he tried to hide his pain from others. He died by suicide, without blame, on his terms, in a nature reserve in Minnesota. Kevin was beloved by many and will be sorely missed by all who knew him.
Andrew Getzin ’90