Carol A. Tinkey

1938 - 2025

Carol A. Tinkey

August 16, 1938 - October 8, 2025

MASON CITY - Carol Ann Perkins Tinkey, 87, of Mason City, died Wednesday, October 8, 2025, at MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center in Mason City from natural causes. A memorial service will be held on Tuesday, October 14, 2025, at 11 a.m., at First United Methodist Church, 119 S. Georgia, with Pastor Jon Montgomery officiating. Private family inurnment will be held at Deer Creek Lutheran Cemetery in Carpenter.

Memorials may be directed to the Methodist Church for the Beds for Kids project to buy books or beds-in-a-bag.

Carol Ann Tinkey was born August 16, 1938, in Deer Creek Twp., Worth County, IA, the daughter of Clinton "Happy" Perkins and Wilma Thompson Perkins. She grew up on farms in Worth and Mitchell Counties. Being she had no brothers and the oldest of five girls she was often, not always by choice, her dad's "right-hand man". She graduated from Carpenter IA High School in 1956, and attended ISTC in Cedar Falls, IA for one year.

While in college, she met her future husband when he and a friend were "conveniently" sitting in front of the women's dorm. She and Lloyd Tinkey were married April 12, 1958, at Deer Creek Lutheran Church, rural Carpenter, IA. During their married lives, they lived in Cedar Falls, IA; Ft. Peck, MT; Yankton, SD; and Mason City, IA.

Carol spent many hours doing volunteer work. In Yankton, SD she was a 4-H leader for 12 years, used her organizational skills for the city-wide Cancer Crusade, Lewis & Clark Theatre and Concert Season Ticket campaigns, spear-headed the Christmas Cheer Fund and stocked the Food Pantry shelves for several years. She was involved in church activities – adult choir, bell choir ringer and director, Board of Stewardship, circles and served various offices of the Lutheran Church Women at the local, conference and synod levels. She could be counted on to make her famous sour cream raisin pies for church events or sales.

Carol's favorite organization was Questers, an antique study group also involved in preservation and restoration. She was South Dakota newsletter editor for nine years and when she retired was awarded the South Dakota Quester Oscar Pulitzer Emmy Nobel Award for Lifetime Achievement in Quester Literature. She held all offices in the local chapter, elected to two terms as state treasurer in SD and 1½ in IA, and two years as Iowa State Quester President. Her writing talents won her four first places, a second place and two third places in the Intl. Quester Founder's Award competition. Her interest in researching antiques led to writing a monthly column for the Yankton, SD Observer, which she did for 20+ years.

She and Lloyd, spent several years restoring their National Register Home in Yankton. In 2003-04 she was involved in the restoration of the AME Church, the first church for blacks in Dakota Territory, where she oversaw the restoration work being done. She assembled three large historic albums on the history of the church, the life of Ted Blakey and one about blacks who had lived in Yankton. Playing bridge and genealogy were also favorite pastimes. She spent hours researching their families and had volumes of family information.

Later in life Carol worked at First Dakota Bank in Yankton, SD as a customer service specialist for several years.

Family was always important to Carol. She attended all her children's school events; and sports events of her grandchildren and great grandchildren when possible. In 2005, they moved to Mason City to be near three of her sisters. They enjoyed getting together, whether to make lefse, play games, eat out or just to gab. She and Lloyd loved to travel all across the US and made two trips to Europe, always stopping at antique shops in hopes of adding to one of their many collections.

Carol is survived by daughter Judy (Jess Castle), Hot Springs, SD and son Mark, Minneapolis, MN; grandchildren Jessica Stofferan, Erica Haggerty (Tory), and Kevin Dolejsi (Starr) (Judy's children); Matthew DeKoter (Dar), Jana Summerson, and Michelle Shetler (Tyler) (Ann's children); great grandchildren Samantha, Alexis, Miles, Griffin, Allysa, Malaya, Brooklyn, Sophia, and Madelyn; great great grandchild Kaizen; sisters Doreen Dorenkamp (Duane), Nancy Vaught, and Barbara Eppens (Dale).

She was preceded in death by her husband, Lloyd, in 2020; daughter Ann Hanson in 2018; her parents, sister, Eileen; and brothers-in-law, Jerred Ruble and Richard Vaught.

Major Erickson Funeral Home

111 North Pennsylvania Ave. Mason City, IA 50401

641-423-0924