thumb

Linn County News

Published May 1, 2019

 

Lawrence Olin Tinsley, 91, of Paola, Kan., died Friday, April 19, 2019, surrounded by family. He was born July 31, 1927, in Bronson, Kan., the second of four children, to Charles Samuel Tinsley and Leota May (Williams) Tinsley.

He graduated from Parker High School in 1945. He attended Fort Scott Junior College.

He met the love of his life, Jacqueline Marie (Day) Tinsley, while studying at Fort Scott, Kan. Lawrence and Jackie married on June 5, 1950, in Fort Scott.

He proudly served first in the United States Maritime Service and then in the U.S. Army, for over four years. Lawrence served two years in Manila, Philippines. He was called back into service from the Army Reserves after he and Jackie were married, serving another 10 months and 20 days in Korea during the early months of the war. His units included the X Corps and the 24th Infantry Division. He was awarded the Commendation Medal, the WWII Victory Medal, the Korean Service Medal with Three Bronze Service Stars, and a medal from the president of the Republic of Korea. He was honorably separated from active duty on 29 October 1951 with the rank of master sergeant.

Lawrence graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business from Pittsburg State College in 1954. He and Jackie became parents of three children, Mark Charles, Lawrence Kenton and Randall James. Lawrence’s career included being an accountant and owner/operator of a bowling alley, a family affair, with the help of his spouse, parents, sister and sons. His longest career was his work for Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services, primarily in Miami County and Crawford County, Kan.

When he retired from social work in 1987, he and Jackie became “Winter Texans” in Zapata for approximately 10 years. His joys were golfing, bowling and his children, Mark (Cindy) and Larry (Mary), and his grandchildren, Heidi Nichole (Tinsley) Shulista (Bob), Nathaniel S.S. Tinsley (Jennifer), Micheal Lawrence Tinsley (Kayla) and Raechelle Marie Tinsley. His greatest joy was the love of his precious wife, Jackie.

After retirement Lawrence enjoyed genealogy research, during which he discovered very interesting ancestral members that he treasured. Most especially, there were 17 Branstetter cousins, one of whom was Lawrence’s great grandfather, Thomas L. Branstetter, who enlisted together in the Missouri Union Cavalry on April 19, 1863, in a cause for freedom. His great, great grandfather, Wheeler Branch Southwick, died while serving with the Union Army of the Potomac in 1864 during the Civil War. As much as he was proud of his ancestral history of freedom fighting and his own, Lawrence espoused the belief that the “love” of war should never become a family value. He also found that one of his grandmothers, Emma Jane Williams, was a descendant of Lawrence and Cassandra Southwick, who as Quakers endured seizure of their Peabody, Mass., homestead and glass factory, along with being exiled from the mainland due to the greed and religious persecution of the early 1600s.

Lawrence was preceded in death by his parents; his two siblings, Lloyd Author and Catherine Charlene; his son, Randy; and his spouse of 65 years, Jackie.

He is survived by his sons, Mark (Cindy) and Larry (Mary); his sister, Charlotte (Tinsley) Earley (Gary); and his four grandchildren, 14 great grandchildren and one great, great grandchild, along with many nieces, nephews and other friends and relatives.

The family requests, in lieu of flowers, donations to be made to VFW in Paola.

A memorial service and military honors will be held at 6 p.m. Saturday, July 13, 2019, at Dengel & Son Mortuary, 305 N. Pearl St., Paola. Burial of ashes will be at a later date in Fort Scott National Cemetery, Fort Scott.

To leave a special message for the family online, please visit www.DengelMortuary.com. Dengel & Son Paola Chapel, 305 N. Pearl St., Paola, KS 66071, 913-294-2372.

OBITUARIES

Bonnie Faye Bishop ~ 03-25-1949 to 04-22-2025

thumb

  Linn County News Published April 30, 2025   Bonnie Faye Bishop, age 76, Olathe, Kan., passed away Tuesday, April 22, 2025. She was born on March 25, 1949, in Kansas City, Mo., the daughter of William and Imogene Krueger Carter. After graduating from high... [More]

Lois A. Murray ~ 11-03-1931 to 04-20-2025

thumb

Linn County News Published April 30, 2025   Lois A. Murray, age 93, formerly of Pleasanton, Kan., passed away on Sunday, April 20, 2025, in Overland Park, Kan. Lois was born the daughter of Arlie and Winifred Stanhope Poindexter on Nov. 3, 1931, near Drexel, Mo.... [More]

Dr. Howard F. Wilson ~ 02-05-1938 to 04-20-2025

thumb

Linn County News Published April 23, 2025   Dr. Howard F. Wilson, age 87, of Garnett, Kan., passed away on Sunday, April 20, 2025, at St. Luke’s South Hospital in Overland Park, Kan. Howard Frank Wilson was born on Feb. 5, 1938, in Garden City, Mo. He was the... [More]

More Obituaries

View All Obituaries
PLEASANTON WEATHER

NEWS

SPECIAL: Legislative Update

thumb

April 18, 2025 Kansas Land and Military Installation Protection Act, SB 9, prohibits foreign adversaries from purchasing property within 100 miles of a military installation and any foreign adversary ownership of non-residential real property purchased prior to July 1, 2025,... [More]

16 criminal cases from Tanglewood Lake incident dismissed

thumb

Late Wednesday afternoon, April 16, orders were filed dismissing all 16 current cases on file in Linn County District Court concerning the Tanglewood Lake gate incident, 14 of which were filed against separate individuals that stemmed from the incident in May 2023. According... [More]

Tanglewood seeks clarification, aid from county

thumb

During the April 21 meeting, Linn County Commissioner Jason Hightower reported to his fellow board members that he had met with the Tanglewood Lake board president and a resident the previous week and noted that they wanted a resolution or motion that clarified if the roads are... [More]

More News

SPORTS

Jayhawk track wins the Pleasanton Invitational

thumb

The Jayhawk Linn track team traveled to Pleasanton on April 15 for the Pleasanton Invitational. The Hawks did very well as both the boys’ and girls’ teams won the meet. The girls won with a score of 188 points while the boys won with a score of 127 points. There were... [More]

Pleasanton track places in top three at home invitational

thumb

The Pleasanton track team hosted their home invitational on April 15. The Jays did well as both the boys’ and girls’ teams placed in the top three out of nine teams. The boys were second with 92 points while the girls were third with 107.5 points. “It was... [More]

More Sports

OBITUARIES POLICY

• May be mailed, e-mailed, faxed or hand delivered.
• Must be received by 9 a.m. on Tuesday morning in order to appear in that week's edition.
• Obituaries submitted by funeral homes will be billed to the funeral home.
• Full obituaries submitted by individuals are required to be paid in advance.
• Cost: $40 for 300 words or less. Each additional word over 300, 10¢. Photograph $5.
Call Barbara at 913-352-6235 or e-mail linncountynewsreporter@gmail.com

View Legals for Free Business Directory