Obituary of Henry J. Travis
Dr. Henry J. Travis, 75, passed away at home in Centerport, NY on October 10, 2024 after a two year battle with pancreatic cancer. He is survived by his loving wife of fifty one years, Karen Travis. He was amazing father to Christopher (Rachael), Lyndsey (Curtis) and Meredith (Robert) and cherished grandpa to Marilyn, Lily, Thomas and Julie. He is also survived by his sister, Elizabeth (Michael).
Henry was born November 19, 1948 in New York, New York to Harry and Constance Travis. He spent the first few years of his life in Brooklyn then moved to Dix Hills, NY in the early 1950s. Hank graduated from Half Hollow Hills High School then attended Cornell University for eight years. It was in Ithaca where he met his future wife, Karen, in 1971. After Hank’s veterinary school graduation in 1974, they moved to Cold Spring Harbor, before ultimately settling down in Huntington.
Upon graduation, Hank joined the practice at Fort Hill Animal Hospital, which he would eventually purchase and spend the next fifty years of his successful career. Today, his daughter, Lyndsey, carries on the Fort Hill legacy. It wasn’t just caring for animals and talking to clients that Hank loved, he enjoyed teaching future generations his craft. Sharing knowledge and working with high school, college and vet students brought him great joy.
While Dr. Travis was recognized in the community for helping care for pets, Dad, also known as Grandper, kept busy with a lot of other things. He was a champion do-it-yourselfer, gardener, plumber , electrician, painter, wood refinisher, bird house maker. He dabbled in it all and always seemed to be at the hardware store. Sometimes things would be installed upside down or not quite right, but they always worked. He had a creative mind and was an excellent problem solver. He seemed to know something about everything and always had a good solution. Sometimes that solution took a long conversation to reveal! He never had a loss for words and always had a dad joke ready to go.
Henry was an avid sailor. You could find him cruising around Long Island Sound almost every Sunday and Tuesday on the Merry Lynn. He taught himself to sail on a small boat and over time worked his way up to larger sailboats. He eventually raced them and took his family on memorable sail vacations around the Sound and up the northeast coast on the Merry Lynn.
Hank also spent a lot of time volunteering throughout his life. In his younger years, he coached numerous baseball and softball teams at Tri Village Little League. He leant his time to non profits such as The Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind in Smithtown, where he was a member of its advisory council. Hank gave his time to universities, including establishing two scholarships at Cornell. He also served on the advisory council and was the Chairperson at Cornell University’s Baker Institute for Animal Health for several years.
Dad had endless energy and a positive mindset. Despite battling a long term lung disease, being oxygen dependent, an almost fatal case of covid, and eventually pancreatic cancer treatment of chemo, radiation and surgery, dad continued to work at Fort Hill and found time for games of hide and seek, trips to the playground, beach and various excursions with the grandkids. He was always on the move and looking for the next exciting activity. He cherished the time spent with his four grandchildren and family. Grandper brought the fun.
His family and friends will miss him dearly but smile thinking about his life well lived.
“I've lived a life that's full
I traveled each and every highway
And more, much more than this
I did it my way” - Frank Sinatra
