Louise A. Tinley
March 12, 2008

Louise Archie Tinley was born on December 20, 1929 in LaSalle, Illinois to Willard D. and Estelle Esden Archie. Her grandparents, David and Jeanette Archie were born in Scotland. Her grandfather, David, was a sculptor and apprenticed with the McKay family monument company in Des Moines, Iowa from boyhood. He is memorialized at Missouri's Elephant Rock State Park.

Estelle's father owned Esden Hardware in Sidney. Willard Archie purchased the Shenandoah Evening Sentinel in 1936 from C.N. Marvin.

Louise graduated from Shenandoah High School in 1947, after living along with her parents in Salt Lake City, Utah throughout World War II where her father, Willard, was Lt. Col. of the 9th Service Command.

Louise received her B.A. in teaching from the University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa in 1951 and was a member of Pi Phi Sorority. On August 11, 1951 she was married to John Tinley in Shenandoah, Iowa. They were blessed with two sons, John born on August 10, 1952 and Philip born on May 22, 1958. Louise was a 60 year member of Chapter DN PEO, First Presbyterian Church and the Shenandoah Home and Garden Club; and was founder of Child Study Club.

Louise was active in her husband's 1960 congressional campaign. She was an early civil rights supporter and remained a liberal Democrat supporting numerous candidates, voter registration, get-out the vote drives and was a delegate to the 1984 San Francisco convention for Gary Hart. She opened her home at 403 Elm Street for local caucuses from 1970-1984. In business affairs she was a director of Mid-America Publishing and owner of Sentinel Publishing Company and Essex Independent from 1973-1986. Upon her husband's death in 1982, she wrote a column "Elm Street Reflections". Her column was credited for the city-wide spruce-up for the Everly reunion. She was an activist for the low-income and the elderly and helped start West Page Improvement Center. Louise was a mentor of controversial issues like allowing food stamps; establishment of Legal Services; W.I.C. programs; swim and after-school mentoring programs; Dutch Elm tree disease prevention and city-wide vote to allow the building of Forest Park Manor.

John and Louise were thrilled in 1970 when his secret campaign, along with Bob Fishbaugh, succeeded to lure Eaton Corporation to choose Shenandoah for a new transmission plant. John's seat on the Iowa Development Commission and chairmanship of Shenandoah Industries proved to benefit this success. Louise was unable to attend Eaton's 30th anniversary ceremony to which she'd been invited.

She was enthusiastic about travel and in retirement she owned homes in Scottsdale, Arizona and Laguna Woods, California. Upon the sale of the newspaper to Roy Park in 1986, she donated items to the Shenandoah Historical Society, Fremont County Museum in Sidney and the Nodaway County Historical Society in Corning.

John was a founder of the local Duck's Unlimited Chapter and was memorialized with a wildlife kiosk near Riverton, Iowa.

Preceding Louise in death were her husband, John; her parents; and brother, David. Survivors include two sons, John Tinley and wife Pam of Lander, WY, and Philip Tinley of Laguna Woods, CA; two grandchildren, Emily Cooper and husband Matt of Jackson, WY, and Melissa Potter and husband Jordan of Driggs, ID; sister-in-law, Mary Cozad of LaQuinta, CA; brother-in-law, Thomas Tinley and wife Katie of Chicago, IL; niece, Jeanette Archie Grohe and husband Matt, Esden and Lena all of Des Moines, IA; brother-in law, William Tinley of Council Bluffs, IA; cousins, Robert Esden of Thurman, William Penn and wife Patricia, and Jeff Penn all of Sidney; and John Thornell of Kansas City, MO.

Celebration of Life Services were held from the First Presbyterian Church in Shenandoah, IA on Monday, March 17, 2008 at 2:00 p.m. Words of Comfort were given by Rev. Rick Sleyster. The Soloist was Jeff Penn and Becky Hoenshel was the Organist. Casket Bearers were Art McGinnis, Bill Hillman, Joe Nebel, Richard Fishbaugh, Chuck Offenberger, John Greenleaf, and Bill Greenleaf. Honored Friends were Evelyn Birkby, Carol Hankins, Marcia Goodrich Volker, Julia Falk, Clara Jane Matthews, Maribelle Read, Gary Gee, John Fishbaugh, Jim Androy, Howard Johnson, Bob Wolford, Edward May Jr., John Kidd, Dave Aldridge, Loreen Burrichter, Jim and Molly Winegardner, and Junior and Elaine Snyder. Caring for flowers were Emmy Bengston, Dorothy Cambier, Virginia Gingery, and Sharon Paulus. In charge of the Memory Registry for the Visitation were Phyllis Goldberg and Barbara Sjulin. In charge of the Memory Registry for the Service were Lorren Markel and Doris McNeilly. Ushers were Bill Billings and Bob Longman. Interment was in Rose Hill Cemetery in Shenandoah. A memorial scholarship fund will be established at Shenandoah High School in Louise's name.

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