N. O. "Tink" Prothro's Obituary
Nevelyn Oneal 'Tink' Prothro was born on November 3, 1922 in Searcy, Arkansas, the 5th of 12 children born to Homer and Mamie Prothro between 1915 and 1935. He passed from this life on March 19, 2012 in Tulsa, OK at the age of 89. He is survived by his wife of 70 years, Jean; sons Edd Prothro of Broken Arrow, OK and Craig Prothro of Dallas, TX; fourteen grandchildren and numerous great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his sons Nevlyn Jr. (Neal), Mark (Fat Boy), David and Ronnie Prothro. A few years after his birth, Tink's family moved from Arkansas to Kansas to be closer to the rest of the Prothro family. In 1928, the family moved to Portland, KS where his Dad farmed and operated a grain elevator. In 1935 the family moved to Oxford, KS where Homer was a foreman for the W.P.A. The last of Tink's 11 siblings was born there in 1935. He spent most of his formative years in Oxford and was busy from an early age looking for ways to make money. He set pins in a bowling alley, cleaned the theater, worked in a café and in a Texaco station. The family then moved to Wichita, KS in 1941. Tink's dad worked for Christopher Iron Works, Rainbo Bakery and The Boeing Co. before retiring in 1960. The pivotal event in Tink's life occurred in May, 1942 when he met Jean Johnson at King's X, a restaurant where they both worked in high school. Though Jean was not interested in Tink at first, he was persistent. They were married on September 28, 1942, five months after they met, and began a 70 year romance that lasted until the day Tink died. Tink joined the U.S. Army in 1943, shortly after his marriage to Jean, serving our country in N. Africa and Italy. He was in a number of important campaigns including Operation Torch and the Battle of Monte Cassino, for which he was awarded the Bronze Star. He was a member of Company A, 350th Infantry Regiment of the 5th U.S. Army under the command of General Mark Clark. Tink began his service as a Private and ended with the field rank of Captain. After serving at various field posts in the U.S., Tink left the service in 1951 at the start of the Korean War. Tink said he had fought in World War II and was going to leave it up to the 'young guys' to fight in Korea. He was 29 years old. Tink began his business career immediately thereafter. An entrepreneur from childhood, he started a number of businesses including a restaurant, household supply store and an insurance agency. He retired as property manager supervising a number of apartments and motels around the Tulsa area. Tink's proudest achievement is his family. The center of that family is his darling Jean. Their 70 years together produced 6 sons, 14 grandchildren and more great and great-greats that he doted over. Tink loved having family around him and made a loving home that was filled with laughter every weekend and holiday. Tink was also known for his generosity. He and Jean regularly fed tenants at the apartments they managed and made them a part of his family. Though they were never rich in material goods, they were rich in spirit. They both strived throughout their lives to help those less fortunate and to put into action their faith. Tink will be missed by all as a father, grandfather and friend. He lived a full and happy life surrounded by the family he so loved.
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