Dr. Lucinda Christensen (Christensen) Earven

Dr. Lucinda Christensen Earven
May 4, 1949 - January 5, 2022

Members of Cochise County’s horse community are grieving the loss of equine Veterinarian Lucinda Christensen Earven.

Lucinda died at her home in Whetstone on Jan. 5, 2022 surrounded by family.

She was 72.

Born in Fullerton, California on May 4, 1949 to Devere and Naomi Christensen, Lucinda grew up in Fullerton where she graduated from high school. She attended the University of California, Santa Barbara and majored in French, with aspirations of becoming a translator for the U.S. Embassy.

Her plans to work as a translator were upended in 1969 when she married her first husband and, as a navy wife, traveled to different areas he served. They had two daughters, Alexis and Abigail.

Lucinda returned to Southern California briefly after her marriage ended in a divorce. With an interest in horses, she decided to attend pre-vet school at Eastern Oregon State College. She completed the pre-vet program as a single mom while raising two girls. From there, she was accepted into Washington State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine where she graduated in 1987 with her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree.

Immediately after graduating from WSU, Lucinda packed up her girls and moved to Tucson where she had been hired by an equine practice. She eventually started her own practice and worked out of Tucson for a few years. While in Tucson, Lucinda met and married livestock inspector Wayne Earven — the man she called “the love of her life.” They moved to Southeastern Arizona where she started Earven Equine Veterinary Services, a mobile practice that served Cochise County and areas within Santa Cruz and Pima counties. Lucinda’s compassion for the horses under her care, dedication to her clients and willingness to help others are qualities that endeared her to those who knew her.

Along with her work as an equine practitioner, Lucinda served on the Hereford Natural Resource Conservation District (NRCD), an organization that focuses on protecting natural resources while promoting economically feasible and environmentally responsible practices. She was a responder with the Arizona Livestock Instant Response Team (ALIRT), a service formed to help with the diagnosis of unexplained livestock deaths. She also was a member of the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP), a professional development organization that provides resources and leadership for the benefit of the equine industry.

Always passionate about her beliefs and values, Lucinda attended public meetings throughout Arizona where she spoke out on behalf of a number of issues.

Lucinda died from a rare form of neuro-endrocrine cancer after a two-year battle with the disease.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Wayne, and her parents.

She is survived by her daughters Alexis (Eric) Dawalt of Winchester, Ky. and Abigail Holeman of Charlottesville, Va. and stepdaughter Delanie (Nate) Schoen-Roda of Denver, Colorado.

She has three grandsons, Chris, Ty and Ben Dawalt and two step-granddaughters, Mackenzie and Kennedy Schoen-Roda.

Known for her fun-loving spirit, sense of humor and quick wit, Lucinda loved dancing, country music, concerts and traveling.

Most of all, she loved family and friends.

Her greatest joys were spending time with her daughters and grandchildren.

As someone who gave a large part of her life to her clients, Lucinda will be greatly missed by those who knew her.

The family has relinquished her client records to Veterinarian Gary Thrasher, whose associates will be assisting him with calls.

“Lucinda was always a colleague and friend of mine, never a competitor,” Thrasher said. “She was a well respected equine practitioner and will be missed.”

There are no plans for services at this time.

By Dana Cole

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