Dr. Kenneth D. Quist

Kenneth Dale Quist, age 87, of Atlanta, passed away Wednesday, August 17, 2016. He was born August 16, 1929 in New Ulm, Minnesota, the son of the late Alton S. Quist and Nellie Larson of New Sweden, Minnesota. He was a retired Captain-06 of the Commissioned Corp of the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS), spending his entire public career with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). He graduated from St. Peter (Minn.) High School and from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter. While at Gustavus, he was an all-conference middle linebacker and center for the football team and played baseball. He was later inducted into the Gustavus Athletic Hall of Fame in 1987. Upon graduation from college, he served in the Minnesota National Guard and subsequently attended The University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Upon graduation, he was recruited to be part of a newly established program, the Epidemic Intelligence Service, an adjunct of the CDC and PHS, where he served as an epidemiologist in Texas, Nebraska and Idaho. He obtained a Masters in Public Health from the University of California, Berkeley before ultimately moving to Atlanta and CDC headquarters in 1961. Under the auspices of the World Health Organization, he traveled to Switzerland, India, West Pakistan (Pakistan), East Pakistan (Bangladesh), Nepal and Japan studying the cholera epidemic in the 1960's. He was promoted within CDC to be Director of Scientific Services and Chief Veterinary Officer and served in this position until his retirement from the PHS in 1985. Thereafter he served as a veterinarian in private practice at Wieuca Animal Clinic in Atlanta for 10 years. He was a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association and a Director of the American Association of Laboratory Animal Sciences. He was a member, with his wife, Lois, of Shallowford Presbyterian Church, Atlanta, Georgia, for 55 years where he served as an Elder and Deacon. He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Lois Anderson Quist; three sons, Peter Jay Quist of Atlanta, Steven Jon Quist and daughter-in-law Jeannie Bain Quist of Doylestown, Pennsylvania and Thomas Dale Quist of Atlanta; six grandchildren, R. Genevieve Quist Green and grandson-in-law, Thomas Sebastian Green, Andrew David Quist, Kyle Peter Quist, Ethan Thomas Quist, Michael Dale Quist and Emma Diane Quist; and one great grandson, Dylan Caleb Robert Green. A memorial service is planned for 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 17 at the Shallowford Presbyterian Church, Atlanta, Georgia. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Shallowford Presbyterian Church Chapel Choir Fund.

Funeral Home:
A. S. Turner & Sons
2773 North Decatur Road
Decatur, GA
30033