Dr. Richard C. Sexton, Jr., 93, a Knoxville physician for over 42 years, passed away peacefully on December 2, 2011 in Tyrone, Georgia. He was preceded in death by his wife of fifty years, Maxine Wright Sexton. He is survived by daughters Vicky Steele and her husband Mike, of Tyrone, Georgia; Sally Sexton of Atlanta, Georgia; and Cheryl Tipton of Maui, Hawaii; grandsons Rick and Lee Steele; great-grandson Ethan Steele; and loving nieces and nephews. Originally from Union County, he earned his medical degree in 1945 from the University Of Tennessee College Of Medicine in Memphis and, after two and a half years of service in the armed forces as a public health physician, began his medical practice in Knoxville. For much of his career, he was associated with Dr. Robert Brimi and Dr. James Worden. He served as Chief of the Medical Staff at Baptist Hospital and was a past President of the Knoxville Academy of Medicine, the East Tennessee Heart Association, the Knoxville Chapter of the National Cancer Society and the Tennessee Disabilities Association. After his retirement in 1994, he immediately began volunteering twice weekly at the InterFaith Health Clinic which provides affordable healthcare to low income workers without healthcare benefits. He received the Dr. Alan Grimes Memorial Volunteer Award in 1997 and the regional Alex Haley Gerontology Award in 1984. He was an avid writer and many of his medical articles were published in professional journals. Besides being an accomplished physician, he was active in the Republican Party. The family will receive friends Monday, December 5, 2011 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm at Highland Memorial Funeral Home, 5315 Kingston Pike Knoxville, Tennessee 37919. The Funeral Service will be held Tuesday, December 6, 2011 at 11:00 am in the Highland Memorial Cemetery Mausoleum Chapel. Donations may be made to the Interfaith Health Clinic, 315 Gill Avenue, Knoxville, Tennessee, 37917.