Issac James Tindle

Issac James Tindle was born January 23, 1942 in Sumter, South Carolina, to Emma Lowry and James Tindle. Issac is preceded in death by his mother, Emma Lowry, his father, James Tindle, and his brother, Joe Louis Tindle. Issac was raised primarily in the South West section of Washington, D.C., and attended St. Vincent’s Catholic School. While he had very little formal education, he possessed a beautiful mind, showing a gift for numbers and abstract thought that would persist throughout his life.

Issac married Mary Grace Little on October 18th 1969 in a small ceremony. Their marriage produced one offspring, Doranna Tindle. I.J, as he was often called by family and friends, was a patriarchal figure, providing support, guidance, and encouragement to his vast extended family.

By 1980, I.J had begun to amass an impressive array of real-estate holdings and other businesses, demonstrating a knack for entrepreneurship, whether investing in store-front property, apartment buildings, or novel industries such as video gaming and satellite television. He was particularly skilled at identifying upcoming lifestyle and entertainment trends, and relied on this talent to expand his business holdings.

A sports enthusiast, he enjoyed attending championship boxing matches, the NBA finals, and all-star weekends. It was common to find him weighing in about “the best basketball player of all-time,” the legacy of his beloved Lakers, or the never-ending Shaq-Kobe controversy.

At the apex of his success, Issac’s life took a challenging turn when he was indicted under the new “Kingpin,” laws and accused of “operating a vast multimillion-dollar heroin ring in the Washington area from late 1978 to early 1983.” He would go on to serve a 19 year federal prison sentence. While his life and circumstances were dramatically altered by his lengthy prison sentence, I.J, as he had many times in his life, endured. An avid reader and deep thinker, he earned a degree in sociology, hoping to gain an understanding of how systems and institutions shape, limit, and liberate our lives.

Released from prison in 2000, he spent the subsequent 19 years rebuilding his life on his own terms. Until the very end, he remained true to himself and his unique notions of what it meant to be a father, friend, mentor, and man.

He is survived by his sisters Jamie and Anne, his daughter, Doranna, his son, Jay, his daughter, Venus, his grandson, Jordan Massenburg, and many loving friends and family. To them all, he leaves this uncompromising legacy of love, passion, and self-determination.