Dr. Dana Clark Schoelen was born on March 29, 1962 in Ponca City, Oklahoma to the
parents of Robert J. and Barbara Schoelen. He passed away on June 27, 2023 at the age
of 61 with his family and fiance by his side after a bitter struggle of complications that
resulted from a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm that sent him to Jersey Shore
Medical Center on February 11, 2023.
Dana graduated from Memorial High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1980. He attended
and graduated from Oklahoma State University while working as a veterinary technician
for years for Dr. Dan Danner at Animal Medical and Surgical Hospital. Dana met the
mother of his children, Tracie Allison Glicker, while attending Ross University School of
Veterinary Medicine, where they both graduated in 1990. After graduating from Ross,
Dana returned to Oklahoma, where he worked his first three years as a veterinarian with
Dr. Danner.
Dana and Tracie eventually landed in Toms River, New Jersey where they owned and
operated Raintree Veterinary Hospital in Freehold, New Jersey. They had two children,
Kylie and Blaise. As a family, they enjoyed island trips and skiing trips with their
children. They also traveled for hockey tournaments and horse shows, and were often
accompanied on these trips by Tracie's parents, Patricia and Terry Duffield. The two
divorced in 2016 but remained close to each other raising their children. He met his
fiancé, Tara DiPinto at Raintree Veterinary Hospital where they worked side by side and
enjoyed traveling to several destinations, including Florida and Aruba with her and her
daughters, Samantha and Ashlee.
Dana was a strong, down to earth and open minded individual. His smile was contagious
and he brought joy to every room he entered. He was a compassionate veterinarian,
loving father, brother, husband and was courteous to all. Dana was a handy man and fixed
any problem that came across, his courage and determination was not like any other. He
was admired by many.
He is survived by his ex-wife Tracie and both children, Kylie and Blaise, as well as his
brother Stephan, father in law Terry Duffield and his fiance Tara DiPinto. He also leaves
behind his beloved companions, who accompanied him daily throughout life - Jeter,
Riley, Georgia, Orion, and Rocket, the miniature horse
A Celebration of Dana's Life was held on Thursday, June 29, 2023 at the Silverton Memorial Funeral Home 2482 Church Rd., Toms River from 4:00pm until 8:00pm
In lieu of flowers donations to an Animal Rescue would be appreciated.