William Lyman Joyner III, member of the Department of Biomedical Sciences and former Chair and Professor of the Department of Physiology at the James H. Quillen College of Medicine, passed away on March 14.
Dr. Joyner was born June 10, 1939, in Farmville, NC, and grew up in Dunn, NC, where he was voted Most Athletic at Dunn High School, and was proud of his accomplishments as an Eagle Scout.
He received a B.S. degree from Davidson College in Davidson, NC; a Master’s of Science in Public Health and a Ph.D. in Physiology from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill; and was a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology at Duke University, College of Medicine in Durham, NC. Dr. Joyner enjoyed a long and distinguished career in academic research focused on cardiovascular physiology.
He joined Quillen College of Medicine at ETSU in 1989 from the University of Nebraska Medical Center, where he was a prominent professor in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics. He was a respected research scientist; he served as primary investigator on grants for the National Institutes of Health and the American Heart Association, and authored and co-authored numerous publications.
He was beloved by his students, colleagues, friends, church, and family. He had a special place in his heart for his students, whom he encouraged and inspired in relationships that continued through the years. He was an avid golfer and fisherman, and relished his role as leader of the pack of their six MiKi dogs.
A dedicated and loving husband and father, he is survived by his beloved wife, Dr. Deborah Joyner; his five children, Jeff Joyner (Kristi) of Melbourne Beach, FL, Candace Martin (Earl) of Samford, FL, Andrew Joyner (Jessica) and Evan Joyner of Johnson City, TN, and Adithya Shanmugan of Burbank, CA; his 7 grandchildren; and his brother, Robert Sandlin, of Dunn, NC.
Dr. Joyner was a devoted member of Ebenezer Baptist Church. He will be missed by all fortunate enough to have known him.
The family will receive friends from 3:00 – 5:00 PM on Saturday, March 19, 2016, followed by a Celebration of Life Service at 5:00 PM at Tetrick Funeral and Cremation Services, Johnson City.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions to the Ebenezer Baptist Church Building Fund, 1026 Maple Street, Kingsport, TN 37660 or to the Dr. Festus Adebonojo Pediatrics Professorship Endowment, East Tennessee State University Foundation, P.O. Box 70721, Johnson City, Tennessee 37614.
Online condolences may be shared through www.tetrickfuneralhome.com.
Tetrick Funeral and Cremation Services, 3001 Peoples Street, Johnson City, TN 37604 (423) 610-7171 is serving the family.
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