Glen Pinkston, 90, died Jan. 24 in Fort Worth after a lengthy illness. He was born in Olney to J.D. and Jodie Pinkston on May 21, 1926. While still a student at Ropesville School in Ropesville, he entered the U.S. Army Air Corp Reserve. He served in the Central Pacific in Guam during World War II. Following his release from active duty back to the Air Force Reserve in August 1946, he attended Wayland Baptist College in Plainview, where he met his future wife, Nina Raye Phagan of Perryton. After two years, they transferred to Texas Tech University in Lubbock. He was recalled to active duty in 1952, and he served in the Air Force with multiple overseas and stateside assignments. He received the Bronze Star for service in Vietnam. In 1977, by act of President Jimmy Carter, he was selected to serve beyond the mandated 30-year retirement term, allowing him to be the longest-serving Chief Master Sergeant in rank for all military branches until he retired Sept. 1, 1980. Following his military duty, the Pinkstons both attended Southwestern Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, graduating with master’s degrees in religious education. They served as foreign missionaries for the Southern Baptist Convention in Germany 12 years, working with the European Baptist Convention. He helped establish 14 churches in Texas, Ohio, Nebraska, and Germany. Upon retirement as missionaries, the Pinkstons settled in Fort Worth, where he served at Travis Avenue Baptist Church as a senior deacon and Sunday school teacher. He is survived by his wife, Nina, of Fort Worth; two sons, Lt. Col. (Ret.) Michael Pinkston and his wife, Kathryn, of Plano and Steven Pinkston and his wife, Angela, of Grayson, Ga.; five grandchildren; brothers Gerald Pinkston of Fishers, Ind., and Ronnie Pinkston of Greenville. He was preceded in death by his sister, Betty, of Levelland. A memorial service is scheduled at noon, Jan. 27, at Travis Avenue Baptist Church in Fort Worth. In lieu of flowers, the family requested memorial gifts to missions.
We seek to connect God’s story and God’s people around the world. To learn more about God’s story, click here.
Send comments and feedback to Eric Black, our editor. For comments to be published, please specify “letter to the editor.” Maximum length for publication is 300 words.