Dr. Jack L. Gilliland, M.D., a beloved pediatrician, passed peacefully to his rest on December 31, 2025, awaiting the second Advent and resurrection. He joins his beloved wife Jaquilyn, and we hope they are lovingly reunited.
Born on June 18, 1939, at Buchanan Hospital in Lodi to Cleo Litchfield Gilliland and Virgil Gilliland, Jack was delivered by Dr. Samuel Leiske, a 1925 graduate of the College of Medical Evangelists.
Jack’s education was entirely within the Seventh-day Adventist school system. He graduated from Lodi Academy in 1957, Pacific Union College in 1961, and Loma Linda University School of Medicine in 1965. His pediatric training was completed at the University of Washington and Children’s Orthopedic Hospital. Jack then served two years in the U.S. Navy as Chief of Pediatrics at Lemoore Naval Hospital.
In 1970, Jack returned to Lodi to assume the practice of the late Dr. Cecil Ramsel, M.D. Soon after, he and Dr. Roy Ishi founded the Lodi Pediatric Medical Group. Together with Doctors, Denis Swanson and Wayne McFarland, they built the medical clinic across from Lodi Memorial Hospital, which served generations of local families. In 1985, Jack joined the newly formed Stockton Kaiser Permanente Medical Clinic as one of its first 11 physicians. He served as Chief of Pediatrics for seven years before being elected the first Stockton Physician in Chief (PIC) in 1992, a role he held for 12 years. The North Tower of the Stockton Medical Office Building has been formally recognized as the Gilliland Tower. During his tenure, Jack oversaw the acquisition of St. Dominic’s Hospital and Medical Complex in Manteca, oversaw the construction of the Manteca Medical office followed by the construction of a new medical clinic in Tracy, and began the development of the Kaiser Foundation Hospital and Clinics in Modesto (also known as “the house that Jack built”). He was a treasured colleague, a ‘pediatrician’s pediatrician’, and a leader who treated everyone he encountered with respect and dignity.
He also served as President of the San Joaquin Medical Society and on the board of the Hospice of San Joaquin. Jack wanted to acknowledge a few people he worked with, including Jose Rivera MGA, Mike Geronio MOC, Henry Illaga, Kristen Spracher Birtwhistle for her many roles within the community and the clinic, and his executive secretary Marsha MacDonald, whom he warmly noted worked alongside him for 12 years “without a harsh word.”
Jack retired in 2006, surrounded by the friendship of colleagues, family, and the community he had cared for over decades. He maintained a long-standing commitment to the Lodi Boys and
Girls Club and served on the boards of Lodi Academy and Fairmont Seventh-day Adventist Church.
The greatest blessing of Jack’s life came during a newborn exam at Dameron Hospital, where he met Jaquilyn Trent and her four-month-old second son, Ryan. After a couple years of courtship, they were married on January 9, 1981, at their home in Acampo. Jacque enjoyed a distinguished 35-year teaching career with the Stockton Unified School District, retiring in 2004. Jacque lovingly raised her two sons and Jack’s daughter and son from his previous marriage. Jacque passed away in 2023 after a courageous battle with Parkinson’s and dementia.
Jacque and Jack especially cherished time with their grandchildren. No matter where the family lived -Connecticut, London, Galt, Lodi, or Los Angeles -they made it a point to visit often,
enthusiastically showing up to babysit, teach, mentor, and share adventures together. They took special pride in being present grandparents, whether offering guidance, encouragement, or
introducing the children to travel and new experiences, always lavishing them with affection and gifts.
Jack and Jacque found great joy in travel and adventure. Their favorite destination was Turkey, whose rich history and blend of East and West deeply inspired them. Jacque encouraged Jack to take up scuba diving, and together they explored many remarkable underwater sites, including shipwrecks off Sharm El Sheikh, where they welcomed the new millennium together. They had many travel adventures with dear friends Tom and Sandi Stokes. The two couples shared countless memories, laughter, and Pinochle games (which the ladies usually won, to the gentlemen’s cheating protest). Jack enjoyed a special group of friends – the ROMEOS (Retired Old Men Eating Out). They met for a
regular Friday lunch with dear friends – Sandi and Tom Stokes, Orlene and Al Dentone, Carol and Bob Romans, Ram Rao, and Ruthie, Jerry, and Mike Heminger. Jack’s parents Cleo and Virgil, his brother Darrel (Bub), and his close friend C. Robert Breckenridge DDS preceded him in death.
Jack is survived by his daughter Melissa Gilliland Frank, grandchildren
Caitlin and Brendan; son Geoffrey Gilliland, grandchildren Steven and Megan; son Michael Schenone and wife Saret, grandchildren Michelle and Melissa; and son Ryan Schenone and wife Sherri, grandchild Nathan; and his dear dog Chloe. Jack was deeply grateful for the extraordinary care and devotion Ryan and Sherri provided during the past six years, enabling both Jacque and Jack to remain comfortably at home.
As Jack would say, “Old dogs never die, they just sleep in your heart.”
Memorial services will be announced in the coming weeks. Jack would appreciate any remembrance gifts to be donations to the Lodi Boys and Girls Club and/or the Hospice of San Joaquin organizations close to Jack’s heart.
Manteca (Calif.) Bulletin
Friday, January 9, 2026
