Dr. Claude Sumner Kidd, Jr., DVM

Claude Kidd, DVM passed away peacefully at Adams Farm in Jamestown, North Carolina on September 18th, 2025, at the age of 89.

Friends and family are invited to gather for a time of visitation with the family of Dr. Claude Kidd at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, September 25, 2025, at the Historic Sabotta Scout Hut at first Presbyterian Church, 326 South Main Street, Mount Airy, NC. A service celebrating his life and his resurrection into eternal life will follow at 11:00 a.m. in the Sanctuary. The service will be officiated by Reverend Rachael Brooks. The service will be live streamed on First Presbyterian Church of Mount Airy N. C. Facebook page. Burial Site is in the Fitchett Family Plot in Historic Greenhill Cemetery in Greensboro, NC.

Dr. Kidd was born December 13, 1935, in Haw River, North Carolina to Claude S. Kidd, Sr. and Elizabeth Fitchett Kidd. He was baptized and raised in First Baptist Church of Burlington, N.C., and achieved the rank of Eagle Scout with his local Boy Scout troop. A graduate of Walter Williams High School, Dr. Kidd attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for two years, where he played on the Men’s Soccer Team. He served as a medic in the 82nd Airborne Division of the U.S. Army, sparking a lifelong interest in military history. He was the recipient of a Quilt of Valor presented by the Veterans Fellowship Group of First Presbyterian Church of Greensboro, NC in November, 2023.

Dr. Kidd earned his pre-veterinary degree from North Carolina State University while working at Rollins Animal Disease Laboratory. He was one of only twelve North Carolina students selected to attend the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine, where he received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 1964. In 2015 he was honored with the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine, recognizing his decades of service to the veterinary profession.

After graduation, Dr. Kidd returned to Greensboro and became a partner at Lawndale Veterinary Hospital. Soon thereafter, he began a lifelong association with the Greensboro Science Center providing veterinary care for its animals for over 25 years. He served on the Center’s Board of Trustees, including eleven years as president, and played a key role in establishing its policies, organizational structure, and enduring partnership with the City of Greensboro.

Dr. Kidd was widely respected as a breeder and trainer of English Pointers, competing in bird dog field trials across the country and serving as President of the Central Carolina Field Trial Association for more than 50 years. He was also an active member of the Sedgefield Hunt Club.

Throughout his career, Dr. Kidd remained a dedicated private practitioner. After leaving Lawndale Veterinary Hospital in 1973, he founded Church Street Veterinary Hospital, which he owned for 15 years, and later Carolina Veterinary Hospital. He concluded his professional work providing after-hours emergency care at Reidsville Veterinary Hospital.

In retirement, Dr. Kidd and his partner, Carol Burke, developed his 38-acre farm in Browns Summit into a wildlife preserve. He also assisted Carol Burke in the Tree Preservation Conservation Declaration on her family property at 5217 North Tryon Street in Charlotte, which was officially proclaimed an Urban Forest by the City of Charlotte on August 2, 2024.

Dr. Kidd is survived by his three children: Allan (Charlene) Kidd of York, S.C.; Mary Kidd (Brian Dunn) of Charlotte, N.C.; and Susie Kidd (Buddy Phillips) of Charlotte, N.C.; as well as four grandchildren—Ryan (Katy) Kidd, Katy Kidd (Chris) Ballinger, David Kidd, and Sarah Kidd—and great-grandchildren Matthew, Madison, Mason, and McKenzie Kidd, and Ava Grace and Braden Ballinger. He is also survived by his former wife and mother of his children, Danny Sue Kidd; his sister and brother-in-law, Betsy and Steve

Hill of Richburg, S.C.; his partner, Carol Burke; and her children and grandchildren Emily Burke (Blaine) Cheshire, Julie Burke (Todd) Slaby, Dr. Katherine Burke (Thomas) Reisinger, Allison and Ryan Slaby, Gil, Olivia, and Oliver Cheshire, and Mills and Laurel Burke-Reisinger.

Dr. Kidd and his family wish to express their gratitude to the staff of the Veterans Administration Kernersville Medical Center and Adams Farm for their dedicated care, affectionately referring to him as “The Veteran’s Veterinarian.”

Memorial contributions may be made to First Presbyterian Church, 617 North Elm Street, Greensboro, N.C. 27401, or to the Greensboro Science Center, 4201 Lawndale Drive, Greensboro, N.C. 27455.

The family is being served by Moody Funeral Home in Mount Airy.