Kathy Bennett
Kathy joined WFVH as a Receptionist in 2003. She has trained in all areas of the hospital and assists doctors with treatments and surgeries during appointment hours. Kathy has taken a sign language course at FCC to better serve our hearing impaired clients.
Kathy maintains her home in the Frederick area. She welcomes her daughter, 4 year old grand-daughter, her son, 2 dogs, 1 cat, an African Grey parrot and a Green-Wing Macaw. Kathy loves bowling with her team and enjoys pet-sitting in her spare time.
Lori Book
Lauren Cramer
Lauren joined the West Frederick Veterinary Hospital as a receptionist and outpatient assistant in October 2007. She has worked with and been around animals her entire life. Animals are her passion!
Her wild and fun household includes her pride a joy - her two children Caleb (5) and Jadyn (2), her two Field Spaniel puppies "Gracie Lulu" and "Cooper", and her tiger-in-training "Chevy" a domestic medium hair kitty.
Lauren loves the outdoors, camping, fishing, target shooting, and traveling.
Linda Crouch
Linda joined West Frederick Veterinary Hospital as an outpatient assistant/receptionist in June 2009 after completing the Veterinary Assistant Program at Frederick Community College in April. Linda earned a BS in History from Frostburg State College and after working in the government and private sector for 9 years, she has spent the last 20 years working in her father's medical practice in Frederick.
She has a daughter, Taylor, who is a Junior at Elon University in NC, but is spending the semester in Disney World as part of the Disney College Program. In her spare time, Linda enjoys volunteering at the American Legion Post 11, going to the gym and spending time with her family and friends. A life-long resident of Frederick, Linda lives with her daughter, her dog, Dahntay, and her 2 cats, Chip and Snickers.
Scott Engel
Scott joined WFVH in March 2002 as a Veterinary Assistant. He assists the doctors during appointments and surgeries. Scott has also completed the Veterinary Assistant course given at Frederick Community College. He has lived in the Frederick area for over 18 years. Before joining the hospital, he spent several years working for a local medical supply company.
In the summertime, he enjoys whitewater kayaking. Scott also enjoys gardening and hiking with his mischievous basset, Darcey. He loves old cars and is currently restoring a 1968 Camaro.
Wendy Estep
Wendy joined the WFVH customer service team as a receptionist and veterinary assistant in September 2006. She has worked in the field for over 12 years. She completed the Veterinary Assistant Program in 1998 at Carroll Community College and is a graduate of Frederick Community College. She was the volunteer Treasurer for the Frederick County Humane Society for 2 years, and currently does rescue for cats/ kittens on her own for strays of the C & O Canal.
Her crazy household consists of Max (a golden retriever mix), Jake (a cattledog mix), and her five cats (Milton, Carnie, Shasta, Buddy and Momma Cat.). Her newest addition, Oslo (a Pitbull mix) was a stray she found near her home. She goes on weekend hikes with her dogs on the C & O Canal and loves the outdoors, travel, and gardening.
Marjorie Fitzpatrick
Marjorie joined the team in January 2007 as an Outpatient Technician. She previously worked in veterinary reception and triage at a busy emergency clinic in New York. Marjorie is taking time off from school at Massachusetts Institute of Technology where she studies music and biology. Marjorie aspires to be a doctor of veterinary medicine and has a love for all creatures. She has two cats, a Chihuahua, two Field Spaniels and a very chatty lovebird.
Recently Marjorie finished her second AKC Champion in conformation and enjoys showing her Fieldies as an owner/handler at dog shows on the East coast. She loves playing with her dogs and teaching them new tricks. (Her cats are too smart to be bothered with tricks.) Marjorie's other passion is playing her cello; she is a member of the Frederick Symphony Orchestra and the South Mountain Quartet.
Jennifer Knight
Jennifer joined the West Frederick Veterinary Hospital staff in 1998 after closing an exciting 10 year career with the Walt Disney World, Co. in Orlando, Florida. A move to the Frederick area gave Jennifer the opportunity to use both her service background and love of animals in the veterinary field.
Jennifer has a "boisterous" cocker spaniel, Scooby, who has kept her busy and entertained for the past 15 years.
She is an avid traveler and enjoys hiking and backpacking (especially out West). Jennifer and her husband have a goal of visiting every National Park in the United States.
Carol Kopp
Carol joined the West Frederick Veterinary Hospital team in February 2009. She has been around animals all of her life, she currently takes care of 4 shelties , 3 cats (2 that her son found under the school bleachers in April 2009; like mother, like son!), chickens, sheep, and horses. Her 3 sons range from high school to college age. She is currently pursuing her veterinary technician degree while working at West Frederick Veterinary Hospital. She is an outdoor girl, enjoying hiking and horseback riding.
Melissa Lorence
Melissa joined West Frederick Veterinary Hospital in February of 2009. She started working with animals as a zookeeper after graduating from St. Mary's College of Maryland with a degree in biology.
She is responsible for assisting the veterinarians in appointments and surgeries. Melissa is currently working on becoming a registered nurse and is hoping to obtain her Masters in Nursing. In the little free time that she does have she enjoys spending time with her family, friends and pets. She has a Beagle/Basset mix named Stetson and two cats named Keicha and Recchi.
Tony Szczesny
Tony joined West Frederick Veterinary Hospital in March of 2009 as a Nurse Assistant. This is Tony's first position in the veterinary field, though, has lived with animals his whole life.
Tony currently lives with his mom and two sisters. They share life with two dogs (an English Mastiff and a Norwegian Elk Hound), and have seven cats, including four young kittens. Tony has lived in the Frederick area his entire life and is currently attending Frederick Community College.
Valerie Taylor
Valerie joined WFVH in 1998 with 8 years experience in veterinary medicine. She works as Lead Receptionist and Veterinary Assistant and is also our Inventory Manager.
Valerie loves activities involving her Labradors Ripken, Hope & Aglet, and her Field Spaniel Zelda. She shows her dogs in Conformation, Rally Obedience, and has started field training with her Labs. Valerie is a member of The National Labrador Retriever Club, The Labrador Retriever Club of the Potomac, and The Labrador Retriever Club of the Chesapeake. She loves to educate people about the joys of Labrador ownership. Valerie also enjoys church activities, camping, Civil War activities, and reading.
Valerie lives with her family on a working farm in Pennsylvania. In addition to her Labs and farm animals, Valerie shares her home with Chloe (a JRT mix), Beauregard & Shiloh (Field Spaniels) and several family cats.
Jen Windham, RVT, LVT
Jennifer Windham is a member of our Nursing team who joined our practice in January of 2009. She assists doctors with surgical and dental procedures, and cares for our hospitalized patients. Jennifer is a Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT) in Maryland and a Licensed Veterinary Technician (LVT) in Virginia. She has nine years experience in the field of veterinary medicine. Before joining us at WFVH, she worked in veterinary emergency/critical care and specialty practices.
When not at work, Jennifer enjoys spending time with her pets and is an active volunteer with two animal rescue organizations.
