Earl “Jay” Pinkerton

Earl “Jay” Pinkerton, Newton, Kansas, passed away November 20, 2022 at the age of 81.  He was born October 26, 1941 in Kingman, Kansas to Earl Eugene Pinkerton and Pearl Wolfe Pinkerton.  He lived in Kingman with his mother and older sisters Helen and Kay and younger sister Marcia until he started high school when they moved to Wichita.

He was a 1959 graduate of Wichita North High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in English Literature from Wichita State University.  He spent the majority of his career working as a materials and processes engineer at Beech Aircraft and after retiring from there in 2001, went on to work as a contract engineer at Airbus and Spirit Aerosystems, retiring at the age of 72 in 2013.

He married his wife Robin in 1983 and they were blessed with 4 children, Jeffrey Pinkerton, Tamara Henderson and Christopher Pinkerton, from a previous marriage and Casey Zillner, Robin’s daughter from a previous marriage and adopted and raised by Jay; 10 grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

He attended Westridge Community Church in Wichita until the Covid pandemic and then became an on-line attendee there as well as Westside Family Church in Lenexa.  He and Robin were faithful attendees of a 20-year home Bible study which has created life-long friendships.

He will be missed and survived by his children Jeffrey (Lisa) Pinkerton of Rose Hill and their daughters, Chelsea Pinkerton of Austin, Texas  and Josey Pinkerton of Rose Hill, Kansas; Tamara (Damon) Henderson of League City, Texas and their children Taylor (Tatum) Henderson of Austin, Texas and Rylee (A.J.) Lauer of Garden Plain, Kansas and grandchildren Anderson and Aspen; Christopher (Stacy) Pinkerton of Derby, Kansas and their children Samuel (Faith) Pinkerton of Wichita, Kansas, Oliver Pinkerton of Fort Collins, Colorado,  Ethan Pinkerton of Manhattan, Kansas and Camille Pinkerton of Derby, Kansas; and Casey (Joel) Zillner of Olathe, Kansas and their children Charlotte and Olivia. He is also survived by his sister Marcia as well as nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents and his sisters Helen and Kay.

Visitation will be at Petersen Funeral Home, Newton, Kansas on Friday, November 25, 2022 at 5 to 8 p.m. with a memorial service also at Petersen Funeral Home on Saturday, November 26, 2022 at 10:00 a.m.  Internment will be at Greenwood Cemetery, Newton, Kansas.

Memorial contributions in Jay’s name may be made to Good Shepherd Hospice and Kansas Christian Home Legacy of John Fund in care of the funeral home.