Meet our amazing veterinarians!

During high school, Dr. Kohr worked on a farm and developed a strong admiration for the individuals he worked with. He searched for a profession that allowed him to work outdoors and contribute to the livestock industry—a career in veterinary medicine was the perfect answer!

Marshall grew up in Millersville, Pennsylvania, in agriculturally based Amish Country. In 1985, he started veterinary school at Colorado State University, graduating along with his classmate and future business partner Dr. Darren Lynde in 1989. While Dr. Lynde returned to his hometown of Gillette, Dr. Kohr practiced in a livestock clinic in Bridgeport, Nebraska. Two years later, he reconnected with Dr. Lynde and moved to Gillette, where the pair started their own practice in the spring of 1991.

Professionally, Dr. Kohr is interested in the diagnosis and treatment of equine lameness. He also enjoys the challenge of equine reproduction. He is proud of all the different perspectives, skills, and personalities the staff of the Animal Medical Center bring and is always excited to come work with such a great group of people.

Marshall is married to his wonderful wife, Lynn, who Dr. Kohr says is one of the best horsemen in the Rocky Mountain region. He also has three children, who are all attending University. He loves watching his wife and kids compete in barrel racing and attending his kids’ other sporting events. Dr. Kohr recently retired from service in the Wyoming Army National Guard as a Colonel!

Darren’s family has lived in the Gillette area since the early 1900s when his grandparents decided to homestead the land in Campbell County. Dr. Lynde attended the University of Wyoming for his undergraduate studies before being accepted to Colorado State University’s Veterinary School. After obtaining his veterinary degree, he returned to his hometown of Gillette, where he worked at another clinic until he opened the Animal Medical Center along with Dr. Kohr in 1991.

Every day, Darren heads to the clinic excited because he knows that each day will be different. He especially likes internal medicine cases and is proud of the recent advances in dental care that allow him to stop undetected pain and infections for his patients. He especially enjoys continuing education because it allows him to stay on top of the latest techniques, theories, and practices. Providing the most state-of-the-art care to his patients is Darren’s top priority.

At home, Dr. Lynde lives with his wife of 24 years, Kim. They have two children: Garrett, 19, possibly the biggest Broncos fan in Gillette, and 17-year-old Lauren, who is passionate about dance. The family has collected rescued pets over the years, including their current fourteen-year-old terrier mix, Stella.

In his spare time, Darren enjoys fly fishing, ice fishing, and trolling, which he started very young with his father and grandfather. He also enjoys reading history and staying engaged with news and happenings.

Diane attended veterinary school at Washington State University. After practicing in Glasgow, Montana, she joined the Peace Corps for three years. After that, she practiced in Belt, Montana, before returning to her hometown of Gillette. She joined the team here at the Animal Medical Center in September of 1996.

As a vet, Dr. Ernst loves working with kittens and puppies and helping to make their first visits not so scary. She also enjoys offering training and care tips to owners to ward off potential behavior problems.

Diane enjoys reading, riding horses, singing in the community choir, and helping out on her friend’s ranch in her free time. She also has two dogs of her own, both adopted from the local shelter: Dodge, a long-haired Border Collie, and Boots, a short-haired Border Collie. One of her cats, Ember, came from our local shelter, and the other Talli was rescued as a tiny kitten from a feral litter.

At home, Susan has several pets of her own: three Sussex spaniels, a Scottish Fold cat, and a desert lynx cat. She’s been training and competing in obedience with her dogs for many years now. Dr. Lucas also enjoys hiking in the mountains with her dogs and has even been on several overseas trips for long-distance hiking.

Her favorite aspect is helping owners to give their pets long, healthy lives and assisting owners in agriculture maximize herd potential. Her coworkers would describe her as hard-working, determined, caring, easy and fun to work with, spunky, and a “warm, wonderful person.”

Dr. Turnbough and her husband, Jerett, have two fur-babies, one dog and one cat, and a human baby on the way. She has three brothers – one older and two younger brothers. Her parents have a ranch in Moorcroft, where she grew up. Outside of work, she enjoys helping her parents on projects on their ranch. She also enjoys exploring new places and going fishing with her husband when they can.

Dr. Violini earned her bachelor’s degree in Animal and Veterinary Science from the University of Wyoming. Later, she attended Vet school at Washington State University. Growing up on her family’s ranch, she watched vets treating sick animals, which motivated her to pursue veterinary medicine. Her goal is to assist animals and their owners through her profession.

Her favorite aspect is that she gets to help the animals and the people who love them. Whether it’s helping a family with a new puppy or making sure a herd is healthy and profitable, she finds it very fulfilling.

Dr. Violini has a 3-year-old cat named Cheezit, and enjoys cooking, reading, and exploring Wyoming. She is looking forward to exploring northeastern Wyoming and finding the best scoop of ice cream.