William A. and Twyla Demoss Tinker

William A. Tinker and Twyla DeMoss Tinker

The Tinker family will inter the mortal remains of William Anthony Tinker and Twyla Lorraine DeMoss Tinker in the Pawhuska City Cemetery on May 21, 2022.

Bill Tinker was born on January 7, 1925, in Longmont, CO to Nicholas Alexander Tinker (Osage original allottee) and Nadine Boyer Tinker. Bill was the youngest of 5 children and a member of Osage Nation, Deer Clan.  Bill died at home in Caney, KS on September 1, 2019, at the age of 94.

Twyla Tinker was born May 20, 1927, in Pawhuska, OK to Estle DeMoss and Lelah Hatfield DeMoss. Twyla was the older of two children. Twyla died at home in Caney, KS on June 26, 2021, at the age of 94.

Bill's family moved from Pawhuska to Colorado during the Osage murders and later returned to Pawhuska when Bill was a toddler. Bill attended school at Immaculate Conception Parish and Pawhuska High School. During high school, Bill played football and the drums in the marching band concurrently. Twyla also attended Pawhuska schools and was a cheerleader in high school. In his late 80s and with a twinkle in his eye, Bill recounted to one of his many grandchildren how cute Twyla looked in her cheerleading uniform.

Bill and Twyla married on May 29, 1945, in the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Pawhuska. They married shortly after Twyla graduated high school and while Bill was serving as a Lieutenant in the Army Air Corps. After WWII, they both attended Oklahoma University. Twyla was an exceptional student but chose to refocus her attention on supporting her family. She worked at the University of Oklahoma’s Art Department while Bill was earning his degree in Civil Engineering. They welcomed seven children: Susan, William Patrick, James Craig, Philip Bradley, John Joseph, Paul Anthony, and Catherine.

Bill worked in the field of corrosion control until his retirement. He served on the board of the National Association of Corrosion Engineers and as a guest lecturer for offshore corrosion technology at Texas A & M University. Throughout Bill's career, the family moved many times, spanning Oklahoma, Texas, Tennessee, and New Mexico. Twyla worked as the principal’s assistant in Spring Branch Elementary School in Houston, TX when their youngest child was in school.

Bill and Twyla were devoted parents. When their children were little, Bill moonlighted as the drummer in a jazz band. They used the money from Bill's gigs to buy Christmas presents for their seven children. A man ahead of his time, Bill was an incredibly involved, affectionate father. Bill and Twyla both enjoyed reading and singing to the children at bedtime.

In retirement, Bill and Twyla enjoyed serving their church community, playing bridge with friends, and traveling. They visited Jackson Hole, WY, whale and bear watched in AK, rode the trans-Canadian railroad, toured Europe via river cruise, and relaxed in Tahiti. In 2015, Bill and Twyla moved from Houston to Bartlesville, OK where they were able to enjoy the company of family and old friends. In 2018, they moved to rural Caney, KS to live with their oldest son, Patrick, and his wife Christina.

Bill and Twyla were devout members of the Roman Catholic Church, modeling their values through service to their community. They served as teachers and counsellors to engaged couples, and taught classes for adults wishing to enter the Church. Their last parish was Sacred Heart in Caney, KS, where they attended Mass every Sunday.

Bill and Twyla instilled in their children the values of hard work, honesty, personal responsibility, education, and service to one's community. After 74 years of marriage, Bill and Twyla were, in many ways, two parts of the same person; they both complimented and completed one another. They will be remembered for their devotion to God and family, fierce support of education, infectious laughter, lovely singing voices, and their love for each another. After all those years, they were also still in love with each other. Bill is remembered for his love of jazz and playing golf, his relentless battle against the Houston squirrels, and entertaining children and grandchildren with stories from his youth and WWII. Twyla is remembered for being a voracious reader, zipping down the street on her scooter with curlers in her hair, and making homemade biscuits and fried chicken so delicious they are legendary.

Twyla is survived by her only sibling, Virginia Ann Walker and husband, Virgil, of Bartlesville. Bill was the youngest and the last surviving among his siblings, Nick Tinker, Sarah Jane Soderstrom, Ed Tinker and Jack Tinker.

Bill and Twyla are survived by their children and spouses: Patrick and wife Christina, Craig, Philip and wife Sharon, Joe and wife Dierdre, Paul and wife Di, Catherine Baughman and husband Bob, and Susan Morrison and husband George;  grandchildren: Noah, Gabriel and wife Sarah, Catherine Morrison and husband Thomas, Molly Williams and husband Lucas, Philip and wife Roxabel,  Isabel Affinito and husband Chris, Andrew and wife Yana, George and wife Lindsay, William, Logan, Carsen, Matthew Baughman and wife Maddie, Joy Baughman, and Mary Catherine Baughman; thirteen great-grandchildren: Bentley, Lilah Grace, Everleigh Rose, Elliott, Leon, Tony, Jake, Samson, Orion, Atticus, Michael, Rebecca, and Abraham. Bill and Twyla were preceded in death by their oldest grandchild, Michael.

Memorial Mass is scheduled 10:00 am May 21 at Immaculate Conception Church, 1314 Lynn Ave., Pawhuska, OK, 74056. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be sent to the Immaculate Conception Altar Society.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

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