Michael Tinker

Reverend Michael Tinker passed away suddenly in his home on July 18, 2020, at age 77. He was a long-time resident of Pine Bluff.

Mike, (Mickey to his family), was born December 18, 1942 in Denver, Colorado, to the late Arthur Lee and Mildred Bernice (Pope) Tinker. The family moved to Dewey, Oklahoma, where he graduated from Dewey High in 1960. He briefly attended Cincinnati Bible Seminary, before enlisting in the United States Air Force. Mike was stationed for a time at Tinker Air Force Base in Midwest City, OK, which was named in honor of a family member, and of which he was very proud to share the same name.

After his discharge from the Air Force in 1969, he pursued a career in the hotel and restaurant industry. He managed such resorts as Shangri La on Grand Lake, OK, and the Sulgrave Club in Washington, D.C. But, his lifelong passion was learning. He spent many years pursuing a degree in counseling, which he was able to attain from Southwest Baptist Seminary in Missouri. In his later years, he served as a pastor and minister, volunteering his time in hospitals, and serving as a chaplain for the Pine Bluff Police Department.

He is survived by his children; son David and wife Tina, of Moore, OK;  son Daniel, of Del City, OK; daughter Deborah Perkins and husband Matt of Harrah, OK; and daughter Ryan Gill of Indianapolis, IN; grandchildren Rachel Andrews, Michael Tinker, Sarah Major, John Tinker, Andrew Tinker, Bethany Tinker, Amy Tinker, Jared Tinker, Joshua Tinker, Caleb Tinker, Hayley Walls, Jasmine Pulliam, Serenity Brown, Makayla Pulliam, Jacob Tinker, Harper Perkins, and Matthew Perkins; his sister Marsha Gnagy of Tulsa, OK, and her children Robyn Gnagy of Tulsa, OK and Rusty Gnagy and 15 great-grandchildren.

He will be laid to rest in the Arkansas Veteran’s Cemetery in North Little Rock, Arkansas. Services pending.

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