H. John Brinkman, 78, of Unionville, Missouri, passed away at the Putnam County Memorial Hospital on Saturday, December 9, 2023.
Harry John Brinkman, Jr. was born in East St. Louis, Illinois, on September 5, 1945, the son of Harry John Brinkman, Sr., and Rosa Irene (Fierce) Brinkman. John would joke that when he was two years old, he packed his bags and got out of East St. Louis to a farm near East Carondelet, Illinois. Raised on the farm there, he graduated from Columbia (Illinois) High School. John then attended SIU in Illinois. While in college he became interested in the Bible. Through a study of the Bible, he saw the need to help others learn more about God’s purpose for mankind. Since 1966 he used most of his time teaching others from God’s Word while supporting himself with part-time employment. He soon entered the full-time ministry as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses while also working as a refuse collector. He married Coleen Casady in Belleville, Illinois, on January 25, 1975, and she shared the same religious convictions. Both worked together assisting many others in Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri, to an accurate knowledge of the Bible. After moving to Unionville in 1986, they were blessed with a son, Jonathan. John continued in the ministry as an elder with the Centerville (Iowa) Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses. He operated a custodial service and drove a school bus for Putnam County R-1 Schools. John began serving as the caretaker of the Unionville Cemetery in 1990 and was elected secretary-treasurer in 1992. He was still serving as sexton of the cemetery at the time of his passing. John transferred his service as an elder to the Kirksville Kingdom Hall in 2001.
John enjoyed model railroading, at one time having a whole room dedicated to this hobby. He and his family also enjoyed traveling and counted Australia, New Zealand, Canada, New York, and Colorado among their destinations. They enjoyed camping at some of those locations. He also enjoyed attending the yearly convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses with his family being able to volunteer his services. He will be well remembered as a man of service by those in the congregations he was able to serve. These include Cahokia, Illinois, Mehlville, Missouri, Belleville, Illinois, Shawneetown, Illinois, Centerville, Iowa, and Kirksville, Missouri, as well as the communities in which he lived. Everyone knew John as a quick-witted person and enjoyed being around him.
John is survived by his wife, Coleen, of the home and a son, Jonathan, also of the home. He is also survived by a sister, Rosa (Floyd) Tapia, of East Carondelet, Illinois; a nephew, Joel Tapia; and a niece, Danielle Tapia. Other survivors include a mother-in-law, Velma Casady; three sisters-in-law, Sheila (Doug) Tucker, Davina (Steve) Hyatt, and Sharon Casady; two brothers-in-law, Michael (Valerie) Casady and Marcus (Kari) Casady; as well as numerous nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents and two nephews, Floyd Tapia, Jr., and Chad Tapia.
Memorial services for John will be held at the Kirksville Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses on Saturday, June 8, 2024, at 2:00 pm.
Memorials may be made payable to the Unionville Cemetery Association, Putnam County R-1 Schools and entrusted with Playle and Collins Family Funeral Home, 709 S. 27th St., Unionville, MO 63565.
