Jerry Wayne Appleton : Obituary

Jerry Appleton was born March 9, 1937 in Nashville, TN to J.T. and Emily (Taylor) Appleton and died February 2, 2012 while walking through his beautiful neighborhood of Hunters Ridge. Jerry had a wonderful childhood in Nashville and enjoyed his high school days at West End High School where he played and excelled at most sports. After high school, he attended and graduated from Vanderbilt University in 1959 with a Bachelors Degree in Electrical Engineering.

Following graduation he worked in design with Sperry in Clearwater, FL and General Dynamics in Ft. Worth, Texas. In 1965 he joined Hewlett-Packard Company in Atlanta and remained with them in the southeast until his retirement in 1997. During that time he was a salesman, a sales manager and an Area Sales Manager with responsibility for a large portion of the United States. He loved working for HP and believed in the HP Way.

After retiring from HP, he and his wife, Sue, moved from Raleigh, NC to Wilmington, NC for 6 years where he pursued his love of restoring antique cars. Then in 2003 they moved to Jasper, GA to be closer to family and friends. Jerry has been an active member of the Optimist Club of Jasper as well as the Piedmont Mountainside Hospital Auxiliary and the community of Hunters Ridge.

Jerry leaves to miss him his companion and wife of 35 years, Sue, and his children: Becky Appleton Smith of Waleska and Jeff (wife Sarah) Appleton of Roswell, Kurt (wife Tammy) Stafford of Colfax, NC; grandson, Anthony (wife Cortney) Appleton of Redwood City, California and granddaughter, Tyler Appleton of Boca Raton, FL. In addition, he leaves a sister, Barbara Appleton Paulson of Washington, DC, a brother, Bob (wife Shearon) Appleton of Wilmington, NC and a sister, Susan Appleton Howell of Dacula, GA along with numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. He will be greatly missed.

A memorial service will be held at Roper Funeral Home in Jasper, GA on Saturday, February 11 at 2:00 PM preceded by visitation from noon to 2:00 PM. The family requests no flowers. Donations may be made in Jerry’s name to Pickens Ferst Foundation for Childhood Literacy (PO Box 2062, Jasper) or Piedmont Mountainside Hospital Auxiliary.