Dr. John L. Shamblin, Jr.

Dr. John L. Shamblin Jr., age 87, of Tuscaloosa, died November 29, 2012, at DCH Regional Medical Center as a result of complications following surgery for a broken hip, sustained in a fall while walking his dog.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Dr. John Shamblin Sr. and Lucille Smith Shamblin; his sister, Jean Shamblin St. John, and brother-in-law, Dr. James St. John; and his son, Richard Roy Shamblin.

He is survived by his wife, Charlotte Moon Shamblin; his daughter, Barbara Shamblin Gibson (Cyrus); sons, John Lafayette Shamblin III and Michael Thomas Shamblin; grandchildren, Leighanna Sellers Preston and Cayce Shamblin; and great-grandsons, Robert Sellers and Jeremy Preston.

Memorial services will be 2 p.m. Monday, December 3, 2012, at First Methodist Church of Tuscaloosa with Reverend Dr. Kenneth A. Dunivant officiating. A reception will follow in the Fireside Hall of the church. Heritage Chapel Funeral Home & Cremations, a Dignity Memorial Provider, is in charge of arrangements.

Dr. John, as his patients and friends called him, was born November 25, 1925, in Eutaw, Alabama, where his father was practicing medicine at the time. The family moved to Tuscaloosa in 1932 where Dr. Shamblin Sr. practiced medicine with his three brothers, Drs. Grover, Roscoe, and Dawson Shamblin. Dr. John attended the University of Alabama as a pre-med student in 1941. He attended the University of Alabama Medical College for two years and graduated from Washington University Medical School in St. Louis in 1947. His internship was at the University Hospital and surgical residency at Carraway Methodist Hospital in Birmingham, and the University of Pennsylvania Post Graduate School of Medicine in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He met his future wife Charlotte Madge Moon, a nurse in the O.R., at Carraway Methodist. They were married in 1949.

Dr. John served in the 31st Division (Dixie) and at Mobile Army Surgical Hospital during the Korean conflict. He returned to Carraway Methodist Hospital and completed his surgical residency. He practiced medicine, primarily general surgery, in Tuscaloosa from 1954 until his retirement in 1990.

He was on the active staff of Druid City Hospital and Northport Hospital as well as surgical consultant for Bryce, Partlow, and the Veterans Hospital, and was one of the founders of the Tuscaloosa SurgiCenter. He served as chief of medical staff and a member of the Board of Directors at DCH, and president of the Tuscaloosa County Medical Society. He worked closely with the administration of the University of Alabama in establishing the College of Community Health Science medical education program and Family Practice training program. He served as plant physician for the B.F. Goodrich tire plant for 17 years.

Dr. John had many interests and hobbies, including golf, boating, computers, ham radio, and RC model airplanes. His passion was continuing education in all aspects of the physical sciences and in the advancement of medical knowledge, which he pursued with much dedication and enjoyment after his retirement. He was always delighted to share that knowledge with interested friends and family.

Dr. Shamblin was a superb surgeon, brilliant medical diagnostician, and intrepid student. He will be dearly missed by family and friends.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Dr. Shamblin's memory to the Rotary International Fund for Humanitarian and Educational Services, in care of the Rotary Club of Tuscaloosa.