LAKELAND – Dr. Jason Cash, a longtime veterinarian in Polk County, has died from complications of a hemorrhagic stroke July 31, 2015, that left him partially paralyzed.
Cash, 48, died Sunday, nearly 2½ years after the initial stroke that ended his career. Cash was preparing for work when his head began to hurt and he lost consciousness. Several more strokes would follow, leaving him even more weak.
He was 48.
“Jason was one of those people who answered the phone after hours when someone had a problem,” said Dr. Rachel Bouton, who worked with Cash when he was a veterinary technician at Kathleen Animal Hospital. “He would give of himself unselfishly, and his clients loved him. People traveled to find him wherever he was. He’s certainly going to be greatly missed.”
A Lakeland native, Cash decided to pursue his degree in veterinary medicine after working at Kathleen Animal Hospital. He graduated from the University of Florida before receiving his degree in veterinary medicine from Ross University.
“He was probably one of the best human beings I have ever known,” said Dr. Wade Crankshaw, a veterinarian in Arcadia who attended veterinary school with Cash. “He was generous with his time and his compassion, but he was also strong-willed. When he had a goal, he would do everything in his power to get it done.”
He loved what he did, said his wife, Dana.
“He loved it, and he was good at it,” she said. “If someone showed up at our house and needed his help, he’d stop what he was doing to help them. He was a good man.”
For eight years before his stroke, Cash had been the veterinarian at Bartow Animal Care.
Longtime family friend Dee Meador said the outpouring of support for Cash and his family after his stroke illustrated the community’s love for him, particularly during a box dinner sale and auction in September 2015.
“The community wanted to try to give back just a small amount of themselves to Jason because Jason always had given all of himself to them,” she said. “They came together like a big family.”
Volunteers sold more than 2,500 dinners that day, Meador said.
“It was just a beautiful day,” she said.
In addition to his wife, Dana, Cash leaves a son, Brody.
Funeral services for Cash will take place Sunday at Bethel Baptist Church, 3125 W. Socrum Loop Road in Lakeland. Visitation will be at 1 p.m., followed by a service at 2 p.m.
Suzie Schottelkotte can be reached at suzie.schottelkotte@theledger.com or 863-533-9070. Follow her on Twitter @southpolkscene.