He was the husband of Michelle (Hawk-Parker) Pinkerton of Lee’s Summit, Missouri. Terry was born in Hamlin, West Virginia on 30 March 1939, the only child of Deward (Bus) and Reba (Browning) Pinkerton. He was survived by nine children: Craig and Lisa (McCrary) Pinkerton of Ironton, OH; Brion and Alicia (Simms) Pinkerton of San Antonio, TX; Brent Pinkerton of Huntington, WV; John and Angie (McCauley) Barnett, of Parkersburg, WV; Tom and Brenda (Fry) Barnett, of Parkersburg, WV; Matt and Jo (Williams) Pinkerton of Parkersburg, WV; Terri Lea (Pinkerton) and Sean Pierce, of Blue Springs, MO; Heath and Amy (Smead) Parker of Lee’s Summit, MO; and Nolan and Maggie (Weldon) Parker of Lee’s Summit MO. and 20 Grandchildren: Jessica, Dylan, Otto, and Gabrielle; Corey and Devon; Brier and Brody; Ryan and Shayla; Brick and Kelsey; Eli; Alexis and London; Grant and Jack; Nash, Charlie, and Henry as well as several great-grandchildren.
Terry was raised in Barboursville, West Virginia where he graduated High School in 1957. After graduation he joined his father in the operation of the Pinkerton Drilling Company and married his high school sweetheart Vivan LaFon. Terry did not enjoy running a business and soon went to work at Kaiser Aluminum in Ravenswood, WV. He later joined lifelong buddy Butch Bright in the apprenticeship for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) where Terry began his lifelong profession as a master electrician. Terry was intensely loyal to his friends and Union Brothers and their escapades have become legendary. These antics led to his first divorce and fall into alcoholism. In the mid 70’s he met Mandy Pelfrey-Barnett in Gallipolis, Ohio and they were soon married. While they lived in Gallipolis, the youth minister from the Nazarene Church, Doug Latrell, visited Terry and his family regularly to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
In 1976 Terry’s sons Brion and Brent went on a multi-day, 50 mile canoe trip with the Boy Scouts. During this trip Brion and a few other Scouts became separated from the rest of the group. By dark, they had not reached the rally point and a search for the missing boys began. State police began dredging the river near the dam and the parents were notified. Terry assisted with the search but failed to find his son. In desperation he prayed and promised God that if Brion was found unharmed, he would stop drinking and start attending church. Brion and some older scouts had intentionally separated from the group so they could smoke cigarettes without being caught. When it got late they got out of their canoes and set up camp to avoid accidentally going over the dam in the dark. Brion was found safe and Terry never drank alcohol again. He began attending church regularly. He soon accepted Christ as his savior and was baptized at the First Nazarene Church in Gallipolis, Ohio.
Terry’s life changed dramatically. He developed an intense desire to share his new hope with others. He began visiting people in the neighborhood and inviting them to church with him. Soon he had to make several trips in his van to pick these people up for church. He convinced the church to purchase a bus and quickly filled it. So many children started attending church on Terry’s Church Bus that a new ministry was started at the Nazarene church and Terry began teaching Children’s Church. In 1980 Terry moved to Westlake, LA where he met a new lifelong friend, Pastor Darwin Enicks and started attending Church at Westlake Nazarene. Terry began the bus ministry there and taught Sunday school for kids and began another Children’s Church. Terry taught kids at church until he was physically unable to do so near the end of his life.
In the mid-1990s Mandy and Terry Divorced. Terry traveled around a bit after that and ended up in Independence, Missouri where he attended the Fort Osage Church of the Nazarene. It was here that he met the recently widowed Michelle Parker. With Michelle he assimilated more family and became Papa to another generation that will know Christ and the maddening sweetness that is Terry.
Terry was opinionated, pig-headed, argumentative and condescending but these qualities were tempered by his quirky since of humor, remarkable generosity, unqualified acceptance, and heart melting hugs. He is adored by his family, loved by most, hated by a few, and responsible for the salvation of many. His welcome in heaven was undoubtable intensely jubilant; but here, we all long to see him again.
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