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A Ridgefield resident, Kristin Sobel of Noah's Ark Animal Hospital died Dec. 31 at the age of 39.
Jeffrey Boyd
Note to readers: This article has been updated to remove some of the detail previously shared for this story.
RIDGEFIELD — A local mother who was a familiar face to area pet owners at Noah’s Ark Animal Hospital in Danbury has died at 39, not long after giving birth to a baby boy.
Dr. Kristin Sobel (Boyd), a resident of Ridgefield who worked as a veterinarian at Noah's Ark for almost five years, died unexpectedly, according to a message from the animal hospital. She died on Dec. 31 and left behind her husband, Jeffery Boyd, her son, Andrew Owen Boyd, her parents Marek and Krystyna Sobel, and extended family, according to her obituary.
Her obituary describes her as a “loving mother” to her son Andrew. A registry on BuyBuyBaby.com shows that she and her husband were expecting the baby in December.
In a letter sent to clients on Jan. 18, Noah's Ark wrote Sobel was devoted to all animals and “provided the best care for every single one of her patients and their pet owners."
“Anyone who met Dr. Sobel during her more than five years at Noah’s Ark knew that she was an outstanding and dedicated veterinarian,” Noah’s Ark wrote. “All of us who love and had the honor of working with Dr. Sobel at Noah’s Ark are stunned by this heartbreaking and sudden tragedy. Dr. Sobel will be missed immensely by everyone at Noah’s Ark and all those in the community whom she made special connections with during her time at the practice.”
Her clients also described a committed veterinarian.
“While my cat Enzo wasn’t her patient for very long, I really valued having her as his vet," said Danbury resident Alicia Ghio, one of Sobel’s clients. "She was so kind and caring, not only with Enzo, but also with me as a nervous pet owner … She was patient and took time to go over things with me.”
Veronica Duve of Danbury, another client, said, “Dr. Sobel not only took great care of all my cats, but her expertise enabled my family to have our most beloved cat with us for 19 1/2 years. Dr. Sobel’s passing is a huge loss for many.”
Born in Springfield, Mass., Sobel earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She attended graduate school at St. George’s University in Grenada, West Indies, and earned her doctorate in veterinary medicine in Oregon.
The cause of her death was not immediately clear. A representative with the state medical examiner's office said the office did not take the case and did not perform an autopsy.
Nuvance Health, which owns Danbury Hospital, declined to comment on her cause of death on Tuesday and declined to respond to an additional inquiry on Wednesday. Yale New Haven Hospital also declined to comment, citing the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.
"HIPPA privacy rules severely limit what we would, could or wouldn’t be able to say regarding patients and protected patient health information," Yale New Haven Hospital spokesman Mark Dantonio said in an email.
A spokesman with the state Department of Health said there is no investigation taking place related to her death and that no complaint has been filed.
Contributions in Kristin Sobel's memory may be made to Ridgefield Operation Animal Rescue (ROAR) or the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).