Leo "Don" Tinkham

Portland, ME- Leo “Don” Tinkham was welcomed into the arms of his wife, Marie, on the morning of January 29, 2026. He passed quietly, peacefully, and painlessly, just as his family was arriving to have breakfast with him.

Born on May 25, 1935, the second of six children to George and Anna (Boyle) Tinkham, Don was a Portland guy and a Munjoy Hill kid through and through. As a boy, he did the usual hill things: scavenger hunting on the railroad tracks, fishing from the railroad trestle bridge and the Maine State Pier, sneaking fruit from nearby backyard fruit trees, and riding around on his bike. He remembers playing hookie from school to celebrate V-E day and the joyful national sigh of relief on V-J Day. Don often reminisced of his first ‘real’ job, making deliveries and running numbers for Joe’s Smoke Shop.

Graduated from Portland HS in 1953, Don served for two years in the Naval reserve and began his lengthy career in the print industry. He worked at well known local businesses like NorthEast Printing, Maine Printing Exchange, and PrintMail, not retiring until the ripe old age of 81. Don was on the vanguard of the printing industry evolution from ‘hot’ type (cast molten lead) to ‘cold type’ (digital imaging) and was one of the first shops in Maine to offer cold type services.

When Don married into the family of Marie Pompeo Grosso in 1957, Don changed his ethnicity from English to English/Italian, and began his life of embracing and celebrating all things Italian, especially: Meatballs/rigatoni/sauce, veal with prosciutto and cheese, pasta fagioli, bocce, braciola, cigars, red jug wine, sambuca, and huge Sunday summer gatherings at the Grosso retreat on Little Sebago Lake. Don was a constant presence at the Columbia Club, The Italian Heritage Center, Al Hambra and St Peter's Church … aspetta and capisce!

As a young couple, Don and Marie kept an active social life. They told us of warm summer nights of bonfires, dancing, beers, and skinny dipping at the beach on Little Sebago Lake. Later, when they bought their first home, it had a decked out party room in the basement where Don and Marie hosted monthly dance parties for their cousins and friends. Don and Marie participated in a Friday Night Bowling League, and we remember moving boxes full of bowling trophies when we packed up the old house.

Marie and Don settled in Portland where they raised three boys (Leo, John, Mark) and remained married for 46 years until Marie’s untimely death in 2003. As the boys grew, Don became super involved in the community. He was a booster for the Deering HS athletic teams. For 20 years, with Connie Rutherford, Don co-chaired the huge Portland/Deering alumni dance at the Portland Expo, always the Saturday immediately following Thanksgiving. Don chaired the annual summer bazaar to celebrate the feast of St Rocco at St Peter's Church, always the second weekend in August, and he was instrumental in the golf tournament, the Holy Name Society, and the Alhambra’s also at St Peter's Church. Don was one of the founding members of the Munjoy Hill Neighborhood Association back in the 1980s. Don was preparing to run for Portland City Council and Mayor of Portland, but his wife and kids talked him out of it. Don was twice nominated for the WCSH Jefferson Award and twice nominated by Maine Bishops to be Maine Catholic Man of the Year. Don was a member of the Portland Elks, and a lifetime member of the Italian Heritage Center.

The Tinkham side of the family counted on Don to contribute a gigantic vat of ‘made from scratch’ meatballs and tomato sauce to bring to family ragers on the Third and Fourth of July at his brother George’s farm on Hogfat Hill in Convene. August debaucheries and karaoke fests at his sister Ruth’s house on Peaks Island, and Valentine’s Dances at the Sebago Town Hall. The most epic Tinkham rager of all time was the 29 Tinkham family cruise, Boston to Bermuda, in 2004.

Don was predeceased by his wife Marie, his parents George and Anna, and his siblings George (and George’s wife Betty), Phil Tinkham, and June Spiller (and June’s husband Lyman), and his parents in law Camelia and Cosimo Grosso.

Don is survived by his three sons, Leo and wife Colleen and children Marin and Emmy, all of Portland, John and wife Cathy and children Jake, Josh, and Aiden, all of Crystal Lake, IL, Mark and his children Addie, Izzie, and Lexi all of Palermo, Maine, and his fiancée Susie and her children Victoria, Joseph, and Nicholas of Portland; sister, Ruth Briggs and husband Bobby of Westbrook; brother, Francis (Mickey) and wife Etchan of Okinawa; sister-in-law, Diane Tinkham of Westbrook; brother-in-law, Vincent Grosso of North Yarmouth; brother and sister-in-law, Bob and Carol Grosso of Naples, FL. He is also survived by dozens of cousins, nieces, and nephews.

The family offers thanks and gratitude to the staff at The Woods at Canco in Portland, especially the caregivers of Josie’s Little Angels; the staff at Fallbrook Woods in Portland, especially Bree, Neesa, Jocelyn, Dennis, and Otis; the staff at Hospice of Southern Maine; Don’s Niece, Dr. Deanna Davis who provided Don with years of free or discounted dental care at her offices and finally, the Lou and Carmel Croce family of Cumberland, who welcomed Don as one of their own for many years.

Friends and family are invited to celebrate his life from 10-11:45 am on March 7, 2026, at Jones, Rich & Barnes Funeral Home, 199 Woodford St. Portland, where a Funeral Service will follow at 11:45 am. A luncheon and fellowship will follow from 1-4 pm at the Elks Club in Portland.