Funeral services for William Harper Booth, Jr. MD, FICS, 84, of Leland will be at 11:00 a.m., Tuesday, September 16, 2014 at Boone Funeral Home, Leland. He died Friday, September 12, 2014 in Kosciusko. Burial will be In Leland-Stoneville Cemetery under the direction of Boone Funeral Home, Leland.
He was born on October 12, 1929, the son of William Harper and Berith Birch Booth in Maben, MS.
Raised in Hollandale, an Eagle Scout with Silver Palm, and accomplished musician, he played the clarinet and saxophone in both high school and college. Dr. Booth matriculated at the University of Mississippi, and graduated with a B.S. in Pharmacy and a Masters in Pharmacology. He married Aetna Condon on August 13, 1950, in Walls, MS, and attended medical school at the University of Mississippi and the University of Tennessee. He was a member of Alpha Omega Alpha, interned at Baroness Erlanger Hospital in Chattanooga, then served in U.S. Navy as a lieutenant. While serving as a Sea Surgeon, he circled the globe and was a member of the 1st Middle East Naval Taskforce dispatched to the region by Eisenhower in 1959. An avid pilot who held both commercial and instructor licenses and served as a FAA Medical Examiner and Accident Investigator, Dr. Booth loved aviation.
After practicing as a General Practitioner in Lambert for 10 years, Dr. Booth returned to UT to specialize in general surgery. He practiced for 14 years as a surgeon in Holly Springs, MS, and St. Francis in Memphis, TN, and was made a Fellow of the International College of Surgeons. He retired due to health reasons and moved to Leland in 1987. After retirement, he renewed his earlier passion for music by organizing the jazz band, Doc’s 3 B’s, which provided enjoyment for many Deltans for 15 years.
Preceded in death by his parents, a brother-in-law, and a niece, Dr. Booth is survived by his wife of 64 years, Aetna Condon Booth; 3 sons, David Booth (Nancy), James Booth (Scarlett), and Dr. Patrick Booth (Anne); a sister, Virginia Horne (Monty); a sister-in-law, Ellen Ann Condon Johnson; 9 grandchildren; 2 nieces, and 2 nephews.
Visitation will be at Boone Funeral Home, Leland at 10 A.M. on Tuesday, September 16, 2014. In lieu of flowers, the family requests you send memorials to St. Jude Children’s Hospital.