On July 8, we lost a great servant of God to his eternal home due to kidney cancer. Dr. Tim Sumerlin, a counselor, teacher, shepherd, husband, father and friend left an indelible impact on untold numbers of people around the world through his compassion, counsel and deep wisdom in applying the healing powers of God’s love.

I first heard of Tim from people whose lives he had deeply touched. As I was visiting with the Denver Church of Christ to spread the news about Disciples Today, several people shared how they had been helped with grief, recovery, depression and a number of other issues through a group that met with Tim that he called “In Motion Counseling” ministry. Intrigued, Marcia and I asked Tim and Jackie for lunch and our friendship began. We encouraged him to write a book and help other churches establish similar groups. Little did I know how much we would need his wisdom and listening ear when our son and daughter and my father died in the following few years.

I was honored that Tim asked me to write the foreward to his excellent book The Grief Journey. We have taught on grief together at large conferences and online. He wrote a recommendation for our book This Doesn’t Feel Like Love Either in 2020. We have all lost a treasure on earth.

Tim had a passion to help as many people as possible. He retired early from his job as a school counselor to expand In Motion Counseling around the world. God blessed him to help churches in numerous countries. His book continues to serve as personal and group guides. His spirit lives on in multitudes of people who have been helped and are sharing with others. One of the ways Tim served was to share his wisdom on DisciplesToday.org, including articles on Depression and the God of Hope, Recovery and the Gospel, Helping a Friend with Anxiety and Depression, and Social Media and Mental Health.

Please join us in thanking God for Tim and celebrating his life: Celebration of Life in person and online July 27, 2024 at 9:30 am MDT.

Most of all, Tim spent his life equipping us to face our fears, grief and weaknesses. The highest honor to him is to pass it on, as he would say, “Soli Deo Gloria.” 

Official Obituary for Dr. Tim Sumerlin

Timothy L. Sumerlin, 67, passed peacefully in his home in Highlands Ranch, Colorado on the morning of July 8, 2024. The cause of death was kidney cancer.

Born on January 31, 1957, in Orange County, California, he was the son of the late Lt. Col. Earl B. “Slim” Sumerlin, Jr. and Catherine E. Rice Sumerlin. He is survived by his wife of 39 years, Jacqueline A. Chappell Sumerlin; a daughter, Danielle T. Sumerlin and husband Adrian Hernandez; a son, Timothy S. Sumerlin; a sister, Sandra K. Sumerlin; four brothers, Christopher E. Sumerlin and wife Diane, Walter Craig Sumerlin and wife Wendy, Curtis A. Sumerlin, and Daniel Sumerlin and wife Sherry; and one beloved granddaughter, Elsa A. Sumerlin Hernandez.

Tim and Jackie married in Indianapolis, Indiana, on July 6, 1985. They were happy to have spent one full day in their 40th year of marriage before Tim died. He felt he truly “married his best friend” and thoroughly enjoyed the adventurous life they lived together.

Tim earned his undergraduate degree from Indiana University in 1981, and his Master of Counseling from the University of Missouri in 1991. He earned a Ph.D. in Education from Colorado State University in 2009, publishing a thesis entitled, The Heart of the School Counselor: Understanding Passion over the Span of a Career. Tim always cited his late mother’s love for education and her determined work ethic as the inspiration that carried him through his doctoral work.

Tim served as a passionate school counselor for 32 years. He also later taught counseling courses as an adjunct professor at the University of Denver and served as Professor and Dean of Biblical Counseling at the Rocky Mountain School of Ministry and Theology. Tim received multiple awards throughout his career both as a school counselor and in the higher education setting. He learned from his students and colleagues, their experiences and perspectives shaping how he counseled, thought, and saw the world around him.

Walking with God and learning from Jesus were central to Tim’s life. He was grateful to his parents for beginning him on that journey. He was baptized in 1981 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Tim was an active, learning, serving, and kind church member of the Churches of Christ in Indianapolis, St. Louis, Dallas, and Denver for over 40 years. He served as an elder in the Denver Church of Christ from 2017 to 2023.

Joining his doctoral studies with his trust in Jesus, Tim, along with Jackie, began hosting recovery groups and grief groups in Denver in 2011. From this heartfelt beginning grew the InMotion Counseling ministry. People often speak of how Tim “really saw them.” He held dear the opportunity to connect with others in these spaces of healing. Tim was honored to teach, counsel, and learn from those he met in cities throughout the United States, as well as Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America.

Perhaps inspired by the words of one of his great hockey heroes, Wayne Gretzky, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take,” Tim was always up for trying something new, and was forever grateful for the kindness, support, laughter, forgiveness, understanding, advice, devotion, and inspiration he received from friends along his journey. His friends most often described him as a good listener and a person of deep faith.

From young adulthood, Tim gained a deep love for the outdoors during summers working at Storm Mountain Lodge in Banff, Alberta, Canada. He and Jackie spent countless happy days hiking with friends and evenings relaxing on their patio overlooking the Colorado foothills. Tim’s children will always be grateful for the many hikes he (lovingly) forced them on.

Finally, family was the joy of Tim’s heart. Few things elicited greater laughter than re-telling stories with his brothers and sister. Tim often recalled with amusement the games of croquet his grandmother Catherine and great aunts “Myrt” and “Ceil” would pay him and his brothers a nickel to play together. And winning a euchre tournament with Jackie’s family over the holidays would easily be the highlight of the year. Tim treasured the seasons he coached his son’s hockey team, the many chats over coffee enjoyed with his kids, and chasing his granddaughter Elsa around the yard. His children are grateful he handed down to them his adoration of reading and good conversation, but most especially for a love that weathered the turbulence of life. Elsa says of her Pop-pop, “I liked being with Pop-pop. He read me my favorite books and he always listened to me.”

A private memorial service for the family will be held at Horan & McConaty Funeral Home in Centennial, Colorado on July 17, 2024. A community Celebration of Life will be held in Arvada, Colorado at the Denver Church of Christ on Saturday, July 27, at 9:30 AM. Live streaming will be available for the Celebration of Life; link to be posted on Tim’s Caring Bridge account. All are welcome to attend as we honor and celebrate Tim’s life.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Second Wind Fund or to Compassion International in honor of Tim. We are grateful for everyone’s deep care and loving support at this time.