Industry Remembers Capt. Jerald Tinkey

Jerald “Jerry” A. Tinkey, 93, died on October 25, 2026, in Alton, Ill., surrounded by his family.

Tinkey was born in Keokuk, Iowa, in 1933 and grew up in Hamburg, Ill. A small-town boy who

grew up to pursue big things, Tinkey exemplified the meaning of the American Dream. Family described him as Tom Sawyer in the flesh who developed a love for the water as a child while hunting, fishing and playing along the Mississippi River.

Tinkey’s passion for the riverbanks he grew up traversing turned into the foundation of his career. He followed in the footsteps of his father, towboat captain Arnold M. Tinkey, who worked for Lake Tankers Corporation on vessels such as the mvs. Alice M. Tyler and Tri Cities, of which he was the first master. Sadly, Arnold passed away in the early years of Tinkey’s life.

“We lived in Keokuk, Iowa, very close to the lock at the time, and (the mv. Alice M. Tyler) was on a coal run from Alton, Ill., to Davenport, Iowa, so they were locking at Keokuk quite often,” wrote Tinkey in a 2023 Letter To The Editor in The Waterways Journal. “Back in those days, boat crews didn’t get paid days off, so they stayed on most of the time. I can remember going to the lock with my mom when the Alice M. Tyler was locking through to wave at Dad. That was the only way we would get to see him for several months.”

After graduating from high school, Tinkey began his river career aboard the mvs. E.B. Ingram and Mama Lere in the 1950s as a deckhand. He moved through the ranks of first mate, pilot and captain, and eventually he took his post as the president of Mid-America Transportation Company.

Though Tinkey eventually retired from Mid-America, he never retired from the industry. In 1991, he became vice president of operations for Ingram Barge Company and helped develop what is now known as the Center for Maritime Education at the Seamen’s Church Institute (SCI), Paducah, Ky. Tinkey taught at SCI for a number of years and is remembered as one of the institute’s most beloved instructors.

Kelly Butts, assistant director at the Center for Maritime Education, remarked that Tinkey was a dedicated instructor who was there “all day, every day.” He was ardently devoted to his students and to the workforce they would go on to cultivate. Just a few months before his death, Tinkey brought friends to the Seamen’s Church Institute to show them around, and even got behind the wheel of one of the simulators. Even at 93, Tinkey couldn’t stay away from the river.

“We consider ourselves lucky that he chose to work here to expand his knowledge,” Butts said. “What better person to teach the Rules of the Road class than the one involved in its creation?”

Tinkey was known, and is remembered for, his passion for and innumerable contributions to the river industry. He served on the boards of a variety of river associations, including his chairman position on the board of the American Waterways Operators (AWO), and was the winner of the Inland Marine Expo (IMX) Achievement Award in 2015. He helped found the River Industry Executive Task Force in 1988, which encouraged the partnership of river companies with the Corps of Engineers during low-water periods and other challenges. He was also intrinsic to the development of the “Rules of the Road” inland navigation rules that Tinkey taught at SCI and that are still used to this day by rivermen and the U.S. Coast Guard.

“His incredible work ethic, unquestioned honesty and appreciation of his fellow workers made him an inspiration to everyone he encountered,” family said in his official obituary.

Tinkey was married to the love of his life, Genevieve Poore, in 1957, and the two spent 64 years together before her death in 2021. The Tinkey household enjoyed spending time with family, hosting happy hour and playing golf. In his spare time, Tinkey was an avid reader of history as well as the Old Boat Column in The Waterways Journal.

“He was a true icon in our industry,” said Capt. David Smith, author of the Old Boat Column and a long-time friend of Tinkey.

To commemorate Tinkey’s contributions to the company and the river industry, Ingram Barge Company christened a 6,140-hp. towboat in his honor in 1994. The 168-by-40-foot vessel, built by Dravo Corporation, Neville, Pa., in 1968, can still be found working the rivers today. At the time of Tinkey’s death, his namesake vessel was moving a full load of barges up the Tennessee River.

“He stood a good watch,” stated Tinkey’s obituary.

Tinkey is preceded in death by his parents and stepfather, George E. Grover, as well as his wife. He is survived by two daughters, Pamela (John) Thiel and Traci (David) Hopkins, six grandchildren, two great grandchildren and his brother, Arnold Tinkey Jr.

A private service was held for family on October 31 in Hamburg, Ill.

Featured photo caption: Originally dubbed the Page Hayden after its construction in 1968, the mv. Jerry Tinkey was christened in Tinkey’s honor in 1994 by Ingram Barge Company. (Photo courtesy of Ingram Barge Company)