Dr. Jeptha Tillman Boone
February 16, 1935 - November 7, 2020
Resident of Alameda, California
Jeptha Tillman Boone was born on February 16, 1935 to Edna Leila Rankin and Jasper Tillman Boone at home in the village of Mt. Selman, Cherokee County, east Texas, at the intersection of two red dirt county roads. He died after a long illness on November 7 at home in Alameda, in the company of his loving wife, Valerie.
His parents separated when he was eighteen months old, but he considered himself fortunate to have been raised by all four of his devoted grandparents, who lived on two farms half-a-mile apart.
After graduating from Jacksonville High School in 1951, he attended Tyler Junior College and the University of Texas, Austin before earning a Doctor of Medicine from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Dallas, in 1958.
During the third year of his medical residency, he was drafted following the erection of the Berlin Wall, and assigned to Naval Support Activity, Nice, France. There he met Valerie Leithead, a nurse, and a year later they were married near her home in Glasgow, Scotland. His military service also included assignments to Naples, Italy and Oakland, California. He was deployed during the Vietnam War with the 1st Medical Battalion, 1st Marine Division to Okinawa, Japan, to a field hospital in Chu Lai, Vietnam and to Da Nang, Vietnam.
After he was discharged, Jeptha joined the Alameda Medical Group and moved with his family, now including five children, to the island city in 1971. For the next 35 years he treated thousands of Alamedans with care and compassion, and never forgot that sometimes listening was the best medicine he could offer. He relied on the essential support of his assistant June Feder, who worked with him until he retired in 1996.
Jeptha devoted his free time to serving numerous Alameda institutions and organizations, including the Alameda Hospital Foundation, Alameda Meals on Wheels, Alameda Food Bank, and Alameda Family Services. He co-founded the Alameda Mozart Festival, a celebration of classical music that enriched the community for five years in the 1970's. An early member of the Alameda Free Library Foundation, he joined with other devoted citizens whose efforts led to the expanded, state-of-the art library on Oak St. that opened in 2006. For 25 years, he campaigned to keep Alameda Hospital open, stressing how important it was to have an emergency room located six minutes by ambulance from any door in the city. Following the voters' approval of a parcel tax, he was appointed, then elected, to the Alameda Hospital District Board.
In childhood, Jeptha was known to all in Mt. Selman as J.T., and attended the Baptist and Methodist churches on alternate Sundays, depending on which preacher was in town. While serving in Vietnam, he played the organ for the weekly base worship service presided over by an Episcopal chaplain.
Thereafter, he found his home in the Episcopal church. He was a member and respected leader of Christ Episcopal Church for 50 years and served in a number of lay roles, including twice as Senior Warden and as the church archivist.
In addition to medicine, he pursued many interests throughout his life, including genealogy, history, classical music, and especially, opera. He curated a vast record collection and could be found at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco every Saturday night during opera season for more than 35 years.
Jeptha is survived by his wife of 57 years, Valerie; children Stuart (Debbie Miller), Angela (Dawn Daggett), Derek (Janell) , David (Beth) and Matthew (Toni Jaudon); grandchildren Jacob Gandel (Megan), Emily, Kristin, Rohan (Coleman Welch), and Garrett Boone; and great granddaughter Landrie Gandel.
He was respected by family, friends, and patients for his sharp mind, compassionate presence, and openness to worlds both similar to and different from the beloved Texas village in which he grew up. His children will remember him as a tireless supporter and a source of calm in any crisis, real or imagined. He is fondly remembered for his warm heart, wise counsel and adept skill as a peacemaker. In lieu of flowers, please consider contributing to one of the numerous Alameda organizations Jeptha supported throughout his life. For further information please call, Harry W. Greer, Funeral Director (FDR-745).

View the online memorial for Dr. Jeptha Tillman Boone