Donald R. Tinkle

December 25, 1958 October 11, 2018

Donald Russell “Rusty” Tinkle was born Dec. 25, 1958 to Donald E. “Tex” Tinkle and Katherine D. “Anderson” Tinkle in Mesa, AZ. Rusty’s mother died at a young age and so he lived with his father in his youth. Rusty spent his formative years traveling the rodeo circuit in Texas with his dad, where Rusty assisted in their booth making and selling various leather products and other rodeo souvenirs. Rusty came to live in Colorado Springs and began receiving support services from Cheyenne Village on March 29, 1979. Rusty moved from his initial home at McLaughlin Lodge in Manitou Springs to various apartments in Colorado Springs before landing at Montebello Gardens Apartments where he lived out his retirement years. During his life Rusty held numerous employment positions, many in fast food restaurants. He also attended programs for many years at Discover Goodwill of Southern and Western Colorado.

Rusty was a lifelong devotee of Elvis Presley, owning several famous Elvis outfits and an impressive array of Elvis memorabilia including all his albums and movies. A highlight of his life was being able to visit Graceland, as he was well-traveled to include trips to Hawaii and the Dukes of Hazard Museum. Rusty was also an expert on television and movies and had an impressive collection of videos and CDs that he liked to sort and organize daily. He loved playing trivia with the names of actors and actresses from famous movies and could quote many lines. He also loved karaoke and enjoyed going to Adam’s Apple and other places with his friends on karaoke nights. Rusty also loved dancing and was very good at it. He was a member of New Life Church and later Springs Church.

Rusty had a great sense of humor and loved people. He had a special place in his heart for what he sometimes called his “brothers” who also had Down syndrome. He will be sorely missed by his family at Cheyenne Village and other agencies who had the honor of working with him.

There will be a Celebration of Life on October 29th at 10:00am at Swan Law located at 501 N. Cascade Ave. Colorado Springs, CO 80903.