Obituaries

Recent Obituaries
In Memoriam Archive

Rebecca Owen Gucciardi ’03

A picture of Rebecca Gucciardi

Rebecca Owen Gucciardi ’03, November 12, 2006, in Portland, from complications of type 1 diabetes. Becca received a BA from Reed in biology, with a thesis study on aggression in crayfish. At Reed, she excelled in the sciences as well as in creative courses, including sculpture. She worked in three administrative offices, and was featured in articles in the Quest about the drag and fetish balls and body modification. With a plan to pursue veterinary medicine, she also volunteered with the Cascade Ferret Network and fostered and adopted special-needs cats through a local Sphynx and Rex rescue organization. After graduation, she worked with Luv My Pet, a mobile vaccination clinic in Oregon and southwest Washington, before taking a position as a veterinary technician at the Burlingame Veterinary Clinic in Portland. She also fulfilled veterinary school prerequisites through academic programs in the area and through long distance study. In fall 2004, she moved to the Hawthorne neighborhood in Portland with her partner, Alexis Nelson ’03—who supplied the details for this memorial—and a small menagerie of unique and dearly loved pets. Becca intended to join the Dove-Lewis animal therapy program this spring. Outside of her work, she took great pleasure in hiking and exploring the coast and the mountain ranges of the Pacific Northwest. In addition to Alexis, Becca is survived by her mother, father, and brother; many friends “both inside and outside the bubble”; and two very special cats.

Appeared in Reed magazine: May 2007

comments powered by Disqus