James Porter McNeil Jr. MD

James “Jim” Porter McNeil, Jr. M.D., 90, of Jacksonville, Fla., passed away, Saturday, February 11, 2017, peacefully at home surrounded by his family. He was an inspiration to those around him and exuded a constant fiery spirit throughout his life. Jim was born April 19, 1926, in Aberdeen, Miss., to Julia Haughton McNeil and James Porter McNeil. He grew up in Mississippi with his parents and younger sister, Madge. The family moved to Jacksonville in 1940, where he met his wife and love of his life, Anne Yerkes McNeil. He also made many lifelong friends that he cherished.

Jim attended Sewanee Military Academy in Tennessee. He served in the U.S. Navy as a

Hospital Corpsman at the Naval Hospital in Bethesda, Md., prior to attending the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Va., where he received his B.A. in 1949. He then attended the University of Virginia Medical School obtaining his M.D. in 1952 and married his wife, Anne, that same year.

Jim's strongest passion was medicine. Following medical school, he started his internship in Internal Medicine at the University of Virginia Hospital in Charlottesville, Va., and then a five-year residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB/GYN) at New York Hospital, Cornell School of Medicine at Cornell University (currently known as Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Cornell University). Jim strived to always be on the cutting edge of medical education and technology. He studied under Dr. Papanicolaou at New York Hospital, who was known for inventing the Pap Smear, which is used worldwide for the detection and prevention of cervical cancer. He was a strong proponent of the Pap Smear and was instrumental in introducing the procedure to the North Florida region, educating others on its connection to cervical cancer and encouraging women to have one annually.

After a period of time as an instructor in OB/GYN at Cornell Medical School, he returned to Jacksonville and opened his practice in Obstetrics and Gynecology. Through his intelligence, great training, and specialized knowledge of fertility, he provided exceptional care to women in Northeast Florida and also delivered life to countless children as a prominent Obstetrician. Jim’s reputation lives on through the endless stories of those he served.

He retired from private practice after 26 years of OB/GYN work that were followed by an additional five years of Gynecology work. Following that, Jim served as a civilian in the Colposcopy Clinic at the Naval Hospital in Jacksonville for 18 years prior to his retirement in 2008.

Jim was a member of several medical organizations including American College of Obstetricians and Gynecology, American Fertility Society, Duval County Medical Society, Florida Medical Association and Southeastern OB/GYN Society. He was also a member of the Honorary Staff in the section of Obstetrics/Gynecology at St. Vincent’s Medical Center Riverside.

He impacted countless lives throughout the 50 years he practiced medicine. Post retirement, Jim was still able to connect with the medical world through his weekly visits to the Mayo Clinic usually following a spot-on, self-diagnosis.

He had an eye for fine art and modern furniture and was able to fuse his love for the arts with his passion for the community by serving as a board of Trustees, past chairman, honorary trustee and member of the Ponce de Leon Society for The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens. Jim was also an Advisory Board member at the Jacksonville Museum of Science and History, where he created a display highlighting the changes in the female body during the phases of pregnancy.

Jim played a very special role in the lives of his grandchildren Fritz, Neily and Butler as well as their close friends and dog, Gator. He enjoyed attending church regularly at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, where he was a member for over 50 years. Jim’s favorite interests included traveling, especially annual trips to New York City; the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra; history; and watching Gator football, golf and tennis. He was an avid reader and loved orchids. Most of all, he loved his children and grandchildren.

Jim was preceded in death by his loving wife of 39 years in 1991, Anne Yerkes McNeil, his parents and his sister, Madge McNeil McFall in 2016. He is survived by his son, James “Porter” Porter McNeil, III of Orlando, Fla.; his daughters, Judson Elizabeth McNeil of Minneapolis, Minn., and Miranda McNeil Braren of Jacksonville, Fla.; his grandchildren, Frederick “Fritz” Porter Braren (Lindsey Howard Braren) of Jacksonville, Fla; Elizabeth “Neily” McNeil Braren of Jacksonville, Fla; Albert “Didier” Thurston Tharin, Jr. of Columbia, S.C.; Judson Beebe Tharin of Bemidji, Minn.; and J. Turner “Butler” Butler Braren of Jacksonville, Fla. Our family is thankful for the extraordinary care given by the Mayo Clinic and hospital staff, especially the CNAs and Home Healthcare who treated Jim with love, patience and kindness.

A service in honor of Jim will be held at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, February 15, 2017, at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church (4129 Oxford Ave., Jacksonville, Fla. 32210). An ice cream social reception in celebration of his life will follow for family and friends at The River Club (1 Independent Dr., #3500, Jacksonville, FL 32202). In lieu of flowers, contributions in memory of James P. McNeil, Jr., M.D., may be designated for cardiology research at Mayo Clinic. Memorials can be made online at www.mayoclinic.org/development or mailed to Department of Development, Mayo Clinic, 200 First St. SW, Rochester, MN 55905.

Arrangements entrusted to Hardage Giddens 729 S Edgewood Ave. Jacksonville Fl. 32205.