Memorial services for William Barr Tomlinson, 98, of Indianola--who died on Monday, November 4, 2024, in Des Moines--will be held 10:30 a.m. Saturday, November 9, 2024, in the Heritage Room at The Village in Indianola. The family will greet friends from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. prior to services at The Village. Bill's request was to donate his body to Des Moines University in Des Moines. Inurnment of cremains will be held at a later date in the Hawley Cemetery, near the Tomlinson family farm in Ravenna, Ohio.

Born in northeastern Ohio and raised on that dairy farm, Bill was about to graduate from Agriculture College at Ohio State University when he felt called to enter the ministry. It was at Garrett Theological Seminary in Evanston, IL, that he met Eileen Ganzel. They always summarized the geography of their romance as: he was from Ohio, she was from Nebraska, they met in Illinois, married, and came to Iowa to live.

As a Methodist minister, Bill served parishes primarily in smaller and rural Iowa towns: Exline, Montrose, Nichols, North Liberty, Paton, Afton, Coin, Alta, Adair, Hartley, Geneseo/Garrison, and Elliott. He loved the outdoors and was an avid camper—including leading backpack high adventure camps in the Colorado Rockies from age 50 to 75 and volunteering many hours at Wesley Woods Camp and Retreat Center following his retirement from full time ministry.

Camping was the way the Tomlinsons vacationed, loading up the family station wagon and tenting all over the United States. Trips to see family in Ohio and Nebraska were important as were the biannual Ganzel-Hackman reunions on Eileen's side. In retirement, he and Eileen traveled to England and to Germany among other places. As a widower in his 80s, the ever-adventurous Bill went on group excursions to Australia and to Israel.

He also loved music and was a season ticket-holder to the Des Moines Metro Opera, seeing all three mainstage operas for many years. Bill was always ready to board The Village bus for any local concert or outing. He was a regular at weekly Rummikub and cribbage games and stayed in shape by exercising an hour a day!

A gentle, loving and thoughtful man, Bill's quiet ways influenced many and inspired them to be better people. He was well-loved and will be deeply missed.

Bill is survived by his children, Kathleen McKay, Muriel (James) Pemble, Walter (David Ross) Tomlinson; grandchildren, Aaron Pemble, Elizabeth (Lex) Hogan, Michael (Cealey) Hemsworth and Timothy Hemsworth; step-grandson, John Pemble; great-grandchildren, Abyee, Gideon, Molly, Sawyer and Fallon Hemsworth. He was preceded in death by his wife, Eileen Tomlinson, parents, Wilbur and Anna (Barr) Tomlinson; siblings, Rebecca (Dale) Smith, Wilber (Joyce) Tomlinson Jr. and Virginia (Wendell) Sechler.

Memorials in memory of Bill may be given to Indianola First United Methodist Church or Camp Wesley Woods and Retreat Center.

Following is the Memorial Tribute put together by John Pemble.