Tinsley, E.J.
SchoolDonor
BiographyErnest James Tinsley Ernest James (E. J.) Tinsley was born April 29, 1919 in Roanoke, Virginia. He was the second son of four sons and a daughter born to Lurline and Thomas Brodie Tinsley. He graduated from Marshall (Virginia) High School in 1936 and Strayer Business College in Washington DC in 1938. On November 27, 1940, he was in the first group of selectees from Washington DC to enter the US Army under the National Selective Service Act. On VE Day, he was a mortar platoon leader on the Elbe River, Germany. He was released from active duty as a First Lieutenant and transferred to the active reserve in March 1946. He entered the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia in 1946. He married Virginia Gillham Lininger on June 15, 1947 at Mount Vernon Place Methodist Church, Washington DC. E. J. and Virginia moved to Denver, Colorado in 1948, where their daughter, Margaret Rhys, was born. E. J. graduated from the University of Denver in June 1950. In September, 1950, his reserve unit was activated because of the Korean conflict. After almost six years of service in WWII and with a commitment to two more years, he and Virginia decided to continue military service as his career. During the next 18 years, he served in Wisconsin, Germany (where their son Thomas James was born), Colorado, Alabama, Taiwan, Okinawa, Vietnam, Japan, Korea and finally Arizona. E. J. retired from the Army as a lieutenant colonel at Yuma Proving Ground in July 1968. E. J. and Virginia selected Tempe as their place of retirement, a choice they never regretted. In October, 1968, E. J. joined the First National Bank of Arizona. He retired from First Interstate Bank of Arizona (now Wells Fargo) in 1988 as Vice President and Security Director. E.J. was active in the American Institute of Banking and served as President of the Central Arizona Chapter. He was also a member of the AIB National Executive Council as District Councilman and Regional Vice President. He was a member of the Board of the Volunteer Center of Maricopa County and on the Board of the Tempe fine Arts Center. He also served as a docent for the Tempe Historical Museum and the Petersen House. E. J. is survived by his wife of 60 years, Virginia, his daughter Margaret (James Foley), his son Thomas (Kathryn Tucker), a granddaughter Claire Tinsley and grandson John Foley (Stephanie), his sister Anne Craun (Sam), his sister-in-law Eleanor Tinsley (Charlie), numerous nephews and nieces, and many loving friends. Memorial Service will be held January 4, 2008 3PM Carr Tenney Mortuary, 2621 S. Rural Road, Tempe. Contributions may be made to the Friends of the Tempe Center for the Arts. You may login to www.mem.com and leave your condolences to the Tinsley Family. Carr Tenney Mortuary assisted with arrangements.
Published in The Arizona Republic on 1/2/2008.
Person TypeIndividual
