Ralph H. Boone

Dr. Ralph Harold Boone passed away peacefully on May 24, 2020, at Camden Clark Hospital in Parkersburg, WV. He was 95 years old. Boone had lived since 1953 in Sistersville, West Virginia, a town he dearly loved, and was most recently a resident of The Heritage in St. Marys, WV, where he was lovingly cared for and befriended by staff and residents. Ralph was born to Frances Willard (Sleeth) Boone and Roy Elliott Boone on January 24, 1925. He was born in the student health infirmary of West Virginia University in Morgantown, WV, a distinction probably held uniquely by Boone. The family then moved to Elkins, WV, where brother Robert was born. The family moved to Martinsburg, WV, where Boone attended elementary school. At age 11, Boone moved with his family to Ronceverte, WV, in Greenbrier County. Graduating in 1942 as Salutatorian from Greenbrier High School in Ronceverte, Boone had spent his school years as an honor roll student, Hi-Y president, debate team member, Boy Scout patrol leader, and senior play actor. He was active in the Methodist Church activities, including MYF. Boone started as the high school football quarterback for three years and was the point guard on the high school basketball team. He was voted the outstanding player in the sectional basketball tournament his senior year and was named to the all-state basketball team. His family called him ‘Harold.’ His college buddies called him ‘DBoone’. His Sistersville friends called him ‘Doc,’ ‘Dan,’ & even ‘Sam.’ But whatever name he was called, he knew as a young child that he was called to be a physician, and he never wavered from that goal. Boone entered West Virginia University in the fall of 1942 as a pre-med major. His studies were interrupted by World War II when he volunteered for the Army Air Corps in October 1943. He served until February 1946. He was stationed in Amarillo, Texas; Moorhead, Minnesota; Sioux Falls, South Dakota; San Antonio, Texas; Denver, Colorado; and Santa Ana, California, where he was discharged. Upon discharge, Boone returned to WVU where in 1948 he earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree, with a Bachelor of Science Degree from the WVU School of Medicine in 1949. Through a cooperative program between WVU and the Medical College of Virginia, Boone completed his medical training in Richmond, Virginia, on June 5, 1951. Following a one-year internship at St. Mary’s Hospital in Huntington, WV, Boone spent his residency at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan. Returning from Detroit to West Virginia, Boone and his young family drove into Sistersville where they were struck by the town’s beauty and the friendliness of its people. Boone stopped at the Methodist Church to inquire about the town’s need for a physician. Reverend James directed Boone to the administrator of Sistersville General Hospital who indicated that the town needed a third doctor. The young physician quickly became popular among area residents. His office was often open until midnight with standing room only. Office calls cost $2.00, and an obstetric delivery cost only $75. Covering a 496-mile area, Boone made house calls throughout Sistersville and the surrounding WV and Ohio communities. Doc loved to deliver babies, welcoming over 2,500 into life, including one set of triplets whose parents had traveled from Ohio to be his patient. About 40 of the babies he delivered were the grandchildren of some of his earliest deliveries. For a month in the summer of 1994, Boone volunteered through Doctors of the World to provide medical service to the 1200 citizens of the remote island of Barbuda, located in the Caribbean Sea. He was scheduled to make a second trip when the island was destroyed by a hurricane. Dr. Boone was recognized in 1995 by the dedication in his name of a personal care center for the elderly in the Sistersville General Hospital. He served for two decades on the Tyler County Board of Education. Dr. Boone had long been a member of the Sistersville Lion’s Club. He was a member of the Staff of the Sistersville General Hospital Board of Managers for many years, including serving as Chief of Staff. Boone worked in the Emergency Room On-Call for Sistersville General and was a member of the American Academy of Family Practitioners (AAFP). Boone was a clinic physician for Tyler County Health Department and served as Medical Examiner for Tyler County. Boone was named Home Health Physician for the State of West Virginia in 1998. With an unparalleled zest for life, he piloted airplanes, studied aerobatic trick piloting in Arizona, sailed boats, hunted game, baked bread, gardened, sketched with pastels, and even published a poem. In addition to high school, Boone played basketball during his college freshman year, in the service, in medical school, and in Sistersville until he was nearly 50. He participated vicariously after that and became the assistant coach for a few years for the 7th and 8th grade boys’ basketball team at Tyler County Middle School. He attended over 50 state high school boys’ basketball tournaments. Boone was an avid golfer and played into his early 90s, still working on improving his swing. He loved to travel the world, and he particularly enjoyed Ireland. Not one to sit still, he delivered flowers after retirement so that he could continue to regularly interact with friends. Boone will be remembered for his sense of humor and his ability to spin a good story and deliver dozens of jokes in quick succession. He was married to Mary Frances Cunningham Boone from 1948 to 1973. In 1976 he married Charlotte Ann Menighan, and they were married until Charlotte’s death in 2017. Boone is survived by his eight children and stepchildren: Steve Boone (Jan); Kathy Boone (Lorne Magaw); David Boone (Anne); Tom Archer (Belinda); Mary Ann Archer.; Matt Archer (Tammy); Kate Swisher (Jimmy Clinton); Brendan Boone (Tammy). He had 14 grandchildren: Jennifer Inthavongsa, Stephanie Hetzer, Mary Boone, Megan Boone, Tommy Archer, Chloe Archer (d), Christopher Smith, Ryen Archer (Karissa), Matthew Archer (Estefany), Levi Keller, Becca Keller, Joe Swisher, Lexi Boone, Jack Boone. He had nine great-grandchildren: Sara and Owen Inthavongsa; Katrina and Jonathan Hetzer; Maredith Williams; Colton and Caden Krieg; Ava Archer, Octavia Studenic. Due to the COVID-19 restrictions, there will be no service at this time. The family will announce a Celebration of Life later this summer once the restrictions are lifted. Memorial donations may be made to Sistersville General Hospital. Please reference “In memory of Dr. Ralph H. Boone.” Boone loved being a physician and worked well into his 80s. Upon retirement, Boone said that he had been blessed to do every day exactly what he wanted to do in the town that he loved. To send a flower arrangement or to plant trees in memory of Dr. Ralph H. Boone, please click here to visit our Sympathy Store.