Dr. Thomas Henry “Tom” Lineberger Sr. went to be with Jesus unexpectedly but peacefully in his sleep on Sunday, November 26, 2023. Tom was a beloved father, husband, physician, brother, uncle, grandfather, and friend.
Tom was born on January 27, 1951 to Clarice and Bill Lineberger Sr. in Charlotte, NC where he was raised in a house filled with the Love of the Lord. He was the fourth of five siblings.
Tom’s youth and young adulthood were filled with fishing, hunting, pranks with friends, and a bit of mischief. His children loved hearing the retelling of his adventures which included bears, horses, joyriding, and a cross-country motorcycle trip. His siblings, who called him Tommy, remember his quiet, kind nature and his good-hearted shenanigans. All who knew him in high school, during which he claimed to have never read a book,were pleasantly surprised to hear he went on to be a successful physician.
After graduating from Myers Park High School (1968), Tom spent time at several universities before finding his calling to be a physician and graduating with a chemistry degree from UNC Charlotte(1974). He then attended the University of North Carolina School of Medicine (1980).
His medical degree was the second most valuable thing he acquired in Chapel Hill.
On October 29, 1978 he met a cute 18 year old wearing a T-shirt with the name “Enola ” on the back as she studied in the Health Science Library. Shortly thereafter, he asked her on their first date using a multiple choice test. On “Match Day” 1980 he proposed by giving her a T-shirt that said “from here to Internity.” Tom and Enola married on May 17, 1980 at Quail Hollow Presbyterian Church in Charlotte.
Tom did his residency in Internal Medicine in Wilmington, NC where he laughingly said he spent as much time honing his fishing skills as his physician skills. In 1983, Tom and Enola moved to Moore County where he opened his practice in Internal Medicine in Aberdeen. He began in solo practice and also worked with several other providers over the years. He joined Pinehurst Medical Clinic in 2006 while remaining in his same Aberdeen office. He served his patients with kindness and humor, treating not just their physical bodies but their spirits as well. Long after it was customary to do so, Tom continued to do rounds at the hospital before going into his office. His children fondly remember dinners in the Moore Regional Hospital cafeteria when they were growing up. Tom’s daily habit of napping amused his staff and patients who sometimes showed up to their appointments to see their doctor napping in his truck.
Tom’s contributions to the area extended far beyond his medical practice. Tom became involved with Young Life of the Sandhills in 1999 as a committee member, volunteer, camp doctor, donor, and prayer warrior. Tom’s heart for spreading the gospel to teenagers is a result of the fact that he gave his life to Jesus while at a Young Life Camp in California in his late teens. He was a last minute addition to the trip at the request of his sister Libby under the pretense of needing someone to help load and unload buses.
In recent years, Tom and friends began a hobby of chopping firewood, or as Enola called it “woodchucking.” They started just for fun with axes and chainsaws. Over the years, the hobby turned into a fundraiser for Gethsemane Garden Christian Centre, a Christian boarding school on Mfangano Island in Kenya which predominantly serves children who have been orphaned by the HIV/AIDS crisis . Tom and the ever growing group of men with the occasional woman got together most weekends to chop firewood and fellowship which they then distributed to locals in exchange for a donation to GGCC.
In addition to raising money for GGCC, Tom supported Tenwek Hospital, a teaching and treating hospital in Southwest Kenya. He was involved in fundraising, providing equipment, and praying for this medical ministry for many years. Additionally, he had the opportunity to go to Kenya twice to use his medical gifts at both Tenwek and GGCC, taking along his then twelve year old son Steve on one trip. He sponsored many children who resided at GGCC. He was always so excited to receive their letters updating him on their education and relationships with Jesus.
More recently he also served as the medical director for Samaritan Colony, a residential substance abuse recovery center in Rockingham, where he provided needed medical care to people struggling with addiction. Tom enjoyed getting to know the participants, inviting them to join his wood chopping group as they transitioned back into the community.
Tom was a man of many hobbies. He rode his bike around the neighborhood everyday until his last. He loved playing golf with his sons, fishing, and taking boat rides. However, he was never happier than when he had a child in his backpack. Most recently, his first grandchild Carly enjoyed being carried around in the same backpack that every child, niece, nephew, and visiting toddler rode in since his oldest daughter Martha took the first ride in the mid 1980s.
Tom’s love for the Lord was evident in everything that he did. His quiet certitude in his salvation provides great comfort to his loved ones in this difficult time. He lived out the words of his family’s verse Micah 6:8 which instructs to “love justice, seek mercy, and walk humbly with your God.” He began each day with prayer and time in the Bible. Each week he met with a group of Men at Casa Mexicana to eat, fellowship, study the Bible, and pray together.
Tom was preceded in death by his parents Clarice (Webb) and Bill Lineberger Sr., his sister Patsy Halberstadt, and father-in-law Max Garland. He is survived by his loving wife of 43 years Enola; his children Martha of Brooklyn NY, Tommy and wife Heather along with Tom’s first grandchild Carly (1y/o) of West End, Pete of Washington DC, Steve and wife Virginia of Raleigh, and Eva of Atlanta, GA; his siblings Sandra Lineberger Patterson of Charlotte; Bill Lineberger and wife Debbie of Charlotte, and Libby Lineberger Acuff and husband Mark of Chapel Hill; his beloved mother-in-law Aileen “Granny” Garland; and Brother-in-law Steve Garland and wife Carolyn, along with many other family, friends, patients. In addition to the many people who loved him, he was loved by many dogs. He was preceded in death by Esther, Dodger and Anna and survived by his granddogs Wilson, Chester, and Turtle.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the following organizations:
Gethsemane Garden Christian Center, PO Box 713, Matthews NC 28106; Tenwek Hospital, Friends of Tenwek, Inc. 1132 Greenbridge Drive Matthews NC 28105; Samaritan Colony, 136 Samaritan Drive, Rockingham NC, 28379; or Young Life of the Sandhills, PO Box 1198 Southern Pines, NC 28388.
A visitation will be held Friday, December 1st from 6-8pm at Boles Funeral Home in Southern Pines. A private burial will be held Saturday, December 2nd followed by a public service at 2pm at Christ Community Church located at 220 Campground Road, West End NC.
Online condolences may be made at www.bolesfuneralhome.com.
Service arrangements are entrusted to Boles Funeral Home.
