Earl Tankersley

Earl Tankersley
Earl Tankersley

On April 25th, 2019 at 8:54 pm Earl Tankersley passed from this life and joined his wife, Shirley, in glory.  Earl was born on March 15th, 1934 to Olga and LD Tankersley in Abernathy, Texas.  He was one of nine children.  During the 1930s, Earl’s family migrated from Texas to the Imperial Valley in California.  Most of his formative years were spent in Holtville, California.  In Holtville, Earl became known for his athletic prowess and excelled in football and baseball, and his love of sports lasted his whole life long.

During the Korean War, Earl was drafted into the Army and was stationed at Fort Sill in Lawton, Oklahoma where he would meet the love of his life, Shirley Cummins.  Earl and Shirley began their family in Lawton while he attended Cameron College and continued playing sports.  At Cameron, he was a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association World Series winning team in 1958.  The family would move from Lawton to Stillwater where Earl attended and graduated from Oklahoma State University with a degree in entomology.

Upon completion of college, Earl and Shirley moved their family to Hollis, Oklahoma where Shirley grew up.  In 1967, the Tankersley family moved to Amarillo, Texas where Earl and Shirley would spend their life.  Earl retired from Bell Helicopter and spent his retirement working with the Bentley family in the auction business.  In their free time, Earl and Shirley enjoyed traveling, camping, and spending time with their family.

Earl is survived by his older brother, Nick Tankersley, of Mission Viejo, California and his younger sister, Virginia Johnson, of Sanford, Florida.  He is survived by his children, Ann Sampier and husband Geary, Tommy Tankersley and wife Dana, son Scott Tankersley and wife Angie, eight grandchildren, and fifteen great-grandchildren.

Memorial services will be at 1:00 P.M., Monday, April 29, 2019 in The Loft Church with Matthew Johnson officiating.  Private burial will be in Llano Cemetery.

Honorary pallbearers are Neil Bentley, Mitch Contreras, James Errington, Ricky Errington, Stephan Hodge, Jody Paredes, Ray Paredes, Drew Sours, and Barry Trickey.

In lieu of flowers, please donate in Earl’s honor to your favorite charity.

He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?

Micah 6:8

8 Replies to “Earl Tankersley”

  1. Tommy, I’m so sorry to hear about your loss. God bless and keep your family during this time. Our prayers are with you.

  2. I am saddened to hear of Earl’s passing. A dynasty has certainly ended. I hope you each take hope in the fact he and Shirley lead by example and did an outstanding job of modeling how to raise successful children. My life was enriched by having the privilege to know them for many year. I no longer live in Amarillo but hope you celebrate his life to the fullest.

  3. Earl was such a wonderful man. I admired him for being such a great father to his children. Earl and Shirley were like second parents to me as I grew up. I always looked forward to spending time at the Tankersley home! All of y’all were very blessed to have Earl and Shirley as parents. They set the bar very high for raising kids. God be with you and your families during this time. We love you all very much!
    Steve and Tina Davis

  4. You were such a great man! God always takes the best too soon! May you Rest In Peace! ❤️ You and I shared many laughs and so sad for it to come to an end, but now was your time 😭

  5. God comfort you in your hour of grief. You have my deepest sympathy. God bless You and your family. I worked with Earl at Bell Helicopter.

  6. I’m sorry Tom. We all know the time is coming but when it does memories and grief stop us for awhile as our loved ones transition out of our lives. I’m sure your dad was a great father from the traits he instilled in you. I’ve been with my dad a year now as he makes his transition and I’m trying to savor these moments only time with him will give. I’ll be thinking and praying for your family. ❤️

  7. Mr. Earl Tankersley and his wife Shirley both lived out a faith that was active -loving their neighbors. I appreciated so much their dedication to the community in east Amarillo. If it was important, you can bet that the Tankersleys were involved. Mr. Earl Tankersley was the patriarch of a great family. He has left a lasting legacy.

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