Reverend John Raymond Tindell
Reverend John Tindell has been called home after a lifetime of service to the lord, many communities in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest, and his family. He died peacefully at home under hospice on December 31, 2020
after a struggle with complications from a stroke. John was born on April 2, 1936 in Miami, Florida to John J. and Mary L (McLean) Tindell. His mother raised him in their neighborhood Allapattah Methodist Church which led to his goal at age 12 of serving as a Methodist Pastor, a path he followed for almost all of his adult life. John met Beryl Insinger while they were students at Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida. They were married in 1959 while John was finishing a Master's in Divinity from Emory University and following Beryl's agreement to a life of adventure in Alaska and beyond. The two traveled the globe together extensively. Beryl died in 2018 after 60
years of marriage. In his deepest self he was an explorer, following mission opportunities in Cuba, Appalachia,
Scotland and over 35 years in Alaska. He was the founding pastor of the Sitka United Methodist Church and the first pastor of the then newly combined Methodist and Presbyterian Northern Light United Church in Juneau. He also led the East Anchorage and Anchorage First United Methodist Churches. After his official retirement in Alaska, John served four more churches, two in Idaho and
two in Oregon. His final assignment was 11 years as
pastor of the Seaside United Methodist Church in
Seaside, Oregon. John is survived by his two children, Raymond and Cynthia ("Cindy"), grandson Kevin, and sister Estelle Lima of Miami. Raymond is a Portland,
Oregon attorney and graduate of University of
Miami (Florida) and Southern Methodist University
Law School. Cindy is a graduate of Georgetown
University, has master's degrees from Columbia
University and the Harvard Business School, and is
a vice president at NextEra Energy in Palm Beach,
Florida. In retirement years, John and Beryl enjoyed
being a part of the life of grandson Kevin, a doctoral
student at Arizona State University. A "Zoom" Celebration of Life and Ministry is planned for Saturday January 30 at 11 AM Pacific. Please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for details. In memory of John's life, donations may be made to the Alaska Methodist Conference, the Pacific Northwest Methodist Conference, or the Seaside Oregon United Methodist Church.
