{"id":32138,"date":"2026-01-22T17:19:36","date_gmt":"2026-01-22T22:19:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vet.purdue.edu\/news\/?p=32138"},"modified":"2026-01-23T10:49:32","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T15:49:32","slug":"pvr25-carrying-forward-a-life-of-care-family-honors-memory-of-purdue-graduate-dr-rick-chaille-with-support-for-purdue-veterinary-hospitals-nutrition-kitchen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vet.purdue.edu\/news\/pvr25-carrying-forward-a-life-of-care-family-honors-memory-of-purdue-graduate-dr-rick-chaille-with-support-for-purdue-veterinary-hospitals-nutrition-kitchen.php","title":{"rendered":"Carrying Forward a Life of Care: Family Honors Memory of Purdue Graduate Dr. Rick Chaille with Support for Purdue Veterinary Hospital’s Nutrition Kitchen"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When Jean Chaille talks about her late husband, Rick, she returns again and again to the same qualities \u2014 his kindness, his faithfulness, his playful mischievousness and the simple way that he made people feel respected. \u201cHe was always looking for ways to be helpful,\u201d she says. \u201cHe was compassionate and had a gift for connecting with people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those traits defined Dr. Richard Chaille (PU DVM \u201978) and his career in veterinary medicine \u2014 a career that reflected a family connection to veterinary medicine dating back to his grandfather, James Chaille, who graduated from the Indianapolis Veterinary College in 1916. By the time Rick began college, Purdue University had a veterinary school, and Rick was admitted after completing two years of prerequisites at Purdue. He also was just a couple years behind his brother, J. Bruce Chaille, (PU DVM \u201976).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After Rick graduated in 1978, he initially worked in a mixed practice in Franklin, Indiana \u2014 making farm calls and treating everything from cattle to cats. In the summer of 1985, he opened his own small animal practice, Broadway Veterinary Clinic, in his hometown of Anderson, Indiana.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"A
Jean Chaille (center) with her children outside the Nutrition Kitchen in the Brunner Small Animal Hospital: (left-right) Matt, JR, Megan, Tara and Jack.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Twenty years later, Rick\u2019s brother Bruce came out of early retirement to help him establish and operate a low-cost spay and neuter clinic, providing the Anderson and Madison County communities support that was sorely needed. This allowed Rick to further cultivate his existing relationships with local shelters and rescue groups by treating underserved animals. After retiring to Columbus, Indiana, in 2016, Rick opened another companion animal clinic, Columbus Veterinary Services \u2014 a final chapter in a career built on serving both animals and the people who love them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe would stay late to see patients,\u201d Jean says, remembering the many evenings Rick handled emergency appointments himself. \u201cWhen he first started out, it was a time before there were emergency centers and various specialties. The local veterinarian was expected to handle most situations, and he was dedicated to doing his best. Many times, he pulled out his textbooks to study how to approach a surgery or treatment so that he would be certain to get it right.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the Chaille family, those long days and late nights weren\u2019t burdens; they were evidence of how seriously Rick took his responsibility to his clients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Family Shaped by Veterinary Life<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Of Rick and Jean\u2019s five children, two followed in their father\u2019s footsteps, and earned their DVM degrees from Purdue. Dr. Jack Chaille (PU DVM 2014), and Dr. JR Chaille (PU DVM 2017), grew up in the rhythm of their father\u2019s practice \u2014 the early mornings, the after-hours emergencies, the time spent assisting during appointments and procedures. Most importantly, they learned what it means to earn a client\u2019s trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWorking alongside my dad helped me to realize my own calling in veterinary medicine,\u201d says Jack, who operates his own practice, Best Friends Animal Healthcare, in Columbus. Being in their father\u2019s clinic taught both Jack and JR how meaningful \u2014 and how demanding \u2014 the work could be. Rick\u2019s approach to practice became a model for his sons as they entered veterinary school and embarked on their own careers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JR married his fellow DVM classmate, Dr. Justine Gullaba, (PU DVM 2017), and they worked alongside Rick at Columbus Veterinary Services, before buying the practice a few years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy dad would get to know clients on a personal level,\u201d JR says. \u201cHe believed that cultivating relationships with the human client was as important as providing the best possible care for their pet. That\u2019s something I endeavor to carry forward in my own practice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"A
Dr. Jack Chaille, of the DVM Class of 2014, with his wife, Sarah.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"A
Classmates in the DVM Class of 2017, Dr. JR Chaille and his wife, Dr. Justine Gullaba.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

At home, Rick found small, quiet joys like catching an early-morning sunrise while kayaking on Grandview Lake with his beloved Goldendoodle, Beans. \u201cHe would even go out in the winter when there was ice on the lake,\u201d Jean says. \u201cHe ruined many kayak paddles, using them to chop through the ice and get to the open water in the center of the lake.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Legacy Carried Forward<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When Rick died in August 2024, the family directed gifts in his memory toward the College of Veterinary Medicine. \u201cQuite a few people donated,\u201d Jean says. \u201cThere were contributions from family, friends, clients and former colleagues. We were overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and generosity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rick and Jean had toured the new Brunner Purdue Veterinary Medical Hospital Complex after it opened in 2022, and Jean recalls Rick being amazed at the state-of-the-art facilities and opportunities available for today\u2019s veterinary students. \u201cRick really enjoyed his time in vet school,\u201d Jean says. \u201cThe relationships he formed at Purdue continued throughout his life.\u201d She also remembers that it always was a priority to come back for the annual Purdue Veterinary Conference<\/a> every year, and, though the continuing education was valued, the emphasis was on getting together with friends and classmates, including, in particular, Craig and Susan Wardrip and Ray and Becky Pohland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To honor Rick\u2019s life and the foundational education he received at Purdue, the Chaille family chose to build upon the memorial donations with their own gift. When the college invited the family to direct those contributions to an area that felt meaningful to them, they chose something that aligned with Rick\u2019s own values as a practitioner: the nutrition kitchen inside the Brunner Small Animal Hospital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNutrition was always a priority for Rick,\u201d Jean says. \u201cHe often counseled clients on their pet\u2019s weight, diet and the long-term impact of proper care at home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"profile
Dr. Gullaba\u2019s brother traveled from California for the gathering at Lynn Hall and checked out the arrangement of the various pet foods in the Nutrition Kitchen. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The nutrition kitchen provides hands-on training and practical support for clinicians, students and patients \u2014 a place where individualized therapeutic nutrition is planned, prepared and integrated into patient care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jack sees the impact clearly. \u201cProper nutrition is foundational to veterinary care,\u201d he says. \u201cSupporting the nutrition kitchen felt like a way to contribute to something both practical and lasting.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Jean, the alignment is simple: \u201cRick believed in doing things the right way,\u201d she says. \u201cA space focused on careful, everyday patient care felt like the right fit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In August of 2025, one year after Rick\u2019s passing, the Chaille family visited the college together to remember Dr. Rick Chaille \u2014 husband, father, grandfather and beloved veterinarian. They shared stories about his life and career and viewed the nutrition kitchen named in Rick\u2019s memory and in honor of the other Purdue veterinarians in the family. It was a time marked by the warmth of caring and the dignity of honoring a veterinary life well-lived.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Three
JR Chaille and wife Justine Gullaba with veterinary technicians Jessica Bowditch (2nd from left) and Tami Lind (right) who remembered when they were veterinary students.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Indeed, Rick built his practice the way he lived his life, steady, committed and generous. He was there for his family, his clients, his colleagues and his community \u2014 not because he sought praise, but because he believed in doing good work. The Chaille family\u2019s contribution completes a circle: memorial gifts from a community that Rick served now fuel training and services that will benefit animals and families for years to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe just wanted to do something that reflected who he was,\u201d Jean says. \u201cSomething that would help others. That\u2019s what Rick always did.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When Jean Chaille talks about her late husband, Rick, she returns again and again to the same qualities \u2014 his kindness, his faithfulness, his playful mischievousness and the simple way that he made people feel respected. \u201cHe was always looking for ways to be helpful,\u201d she says. \u201cHe was compassionate and had a gift for connecting with people.\u201d<\/p>\n

To honor Rick\u2019s life and the foundational education he received at Purdue, the Chaille family chose to build upon the memorial donations with their own gift. When the college invited the family to direct those contributions to an area that felt meaningful to them, they chose something that aligned with Rick\u2019s own values as a practitioner: the nutrition kitchen inside the Brunner Small Animal Hospital.<\/p>\n

Then, in August of 2025, one year after Rick’s passing, the Chaille family visited the college together to remember Dr. Rick Chaille \u2014 husband, father, grandfather and beloved veterinarian.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":32140,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[268],"tags":[121,811],"class_list":["post-32138","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-giving","tag-giving","tag-pvm-report"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vet.purdue.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32138","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vet.purdue.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vet.purdue.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vet.purdue.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vet.purdue.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32138"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/vet.purdue.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32138\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32430,"href":"https:\/\/vet.purdue.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32138\/revisions\/32430"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vet.purdue.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32140"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vet.purdue.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32138"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vet.purdue.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32138"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vet.purdue.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32138"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}