Wednesday, March 31, 2021

With sadness, UNCW shares that former Wilmington College and UNCW faculty member Robert “Bob” Appleton passed away on March 26, 2021.

A Nashville native, Appleton attended Vanderbilt University and graduated from Belmont University before earning an MBA from the University of Memphis. He began his teaching career in 1967 at Wilmington College in the Business Department, which later became the Cameron School of Business at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. He continued to teach in the Department of Accountancy and Business Law until retiring as an associate professor in 2014.

A true Seahawk fan, he was in regular attendance at basketball games and tournaments. He sang with several barbershop quartets, including the Cape Fear Chordsmen.

Appleton is survived by his wife Shearon; son Robin and wife Sasha of Belmont, NC, and their children Emily, Amara and Josh; his stepdaughter Jill Prescott and husband Damian of Wilmington, NC, and their children Avery and Vance; his sisters Barbara Paulson of Washington, DC and Susan Howell of Baton Rouge, LA.

His full obituary may be read online.