Dr. Joel Timothy Appleton

Dr. Joel Timothy (Tim) Appleton passed away on July 12, 2024, in Lubbock, Texas, at the age of 88. His life was one of dedication and service to his family, his community, his country, his patients, and most importantly, the church. In everything he did, he deliberately and carefully sought to follow the example of Jesus Christ.

Tim was born on December 18,1935, in Abilene, Texas, to Sam and Ora (Carlile) Appleton. He graduated from Tulia High School and Abilene Christian College. He went on to earn his Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in 1961, completing his internship at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas the following year.

In 1962, Tim joined the U.S. Air Force as a Captain in the General Medical Corps, and was stationed in Goose Bay, Labrador, and Fort Worth, Texas. After his honorable discharge in 1964, Tim returned to Abilene, Texas, to practice medicine. Thanks to some matchmaking by his future brother-in-law, Tim met Linda Rainwater, a young lady with a dazzling smile (as he described her), who was to become his wife of 58 years. They married soon afterwards in the lobby of ACU's Gardner Dormitory.

Tim practiced general medicine and surgery in Abilene for the next seven years with Dr. Clyde Morgan. During this time, he served as a city councilman for the City of Abilene, as a representative for the Texas Municipal League, and as a Medical Advisor for the Selective Service Board of Taylor County.

In the years that followed, Tim continued his medical education, moving his growing family first to Oklahoma City to complete a residency in pediatric medicine at the University of Oklahoma Medical Center, and then to Houston, where he was a Senior Research Fellow at the Texas Allergy Research Foundation and earned his Master of Public Health at the UT School of Public Health. He became board certified in Allergy and Immunology and practiced at McGovern Allergy Clinic until 1974. Moving back to Abilene, Tim built his own practice, Abilene Allergy Associates, where he helped many miserable drippy-nosed sufferers until his retirement in 2002. All these years later his children still run across people who say, "Your father saved my life." He and Linda retired to Lubbock to be closer to their children and grandchildren, who have many fond memories of their granddad reading stories, playing music, and singing in his resonant bass voice.

Throughout Tim's life, he was a well-respected and beloved church leader. He enjoyed teaching Bible classes, studying, and writing. Tim was on the Board of Trustees for Abilene Christian Schools from 1978-1991. He served as an elder at Baker Heights Church of Christ and Oldham Lane Church of Christ in Abilene, and at Green Lawn Church of Christ in Lubbock. One of his favorite verses was Isaiah 40:31, "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."

Tim was preceded in death by his parents and his twin sister, Jenny Lou Batson. He is survived by his wife, Linda; his three children, Amanda Witt (Jonathan), Joel Appleton (Kathy), and Laurel Collins (Brian); seven grandchildren, Dante (Seyed), Daniel, John Paul, Aidan (Sarah), Claire, Ben, and Thomas; and one great-grandson, Judah.