Howard Pinkley, the owner of a flag-making and repairing business in Point Place who was so active in that neighborhood that many called him its unofficial mayor, died early Saturday. He was 85.
City councilman Lindsay Webb, whose district includes Point Place, confirmed his passing after a sudden and rapid decline in his health. The precise cause was not yet reported.
With his daughter, Wendy Beallas, Mr. Pinkley owned and operated Flags Sales and Repairs, which he started in 1960 to manufacture boat-racing flags and then branched out to include production of silk-screened cloth American flags and numerous other banners.
In 1998, he moved the business into a former city firehouse, which he renovated for about $150,000 into a showroom and workshop. He established a summertime tradition of displaying 100 flags in the Point Place business district.
Along with leading the Point Place Business Association for many years and heading the National Independent Flag Dealers' Association for a time, Mr. Pinkley was prominent in local boating and historic preservation circles.
He advocated for dredging the boat channel in the Ottawa River, which over the years has filled with silt, making navigation difficult, if not impossible, for all but shallow-draft vessels.
Most recently, Mr. Pinkley advanced a proposal to redevelop a long peninsula jutting out from Bay View Park at the Maumee River's mouth. He led a group of neighborhood local residents and businessmen that persuaded the city of Toledo to spend $100,000 on a mile-long, stone walkway through the site as a first step toward attracting private investors for what he called the Nautical Village.
His earlier lobbying efforts had helped persuade city leaders to build a new senior citizens' center and replace the Point Place firehouse, Ms. Webb had noted last month while discussing the Nautical Village plan. At the time, she described him as "tenacious" and "visionary" and, because of those traits, he attracted people with "can-do" attitudes.
Tuesday, May 21 2013 6:30 AM EDT2013-05-21 10:30:27 GMT
Coast guard crews are searching for a missing boater in Lake Erie. Authorities aren't releasing a name, but they say this person left Meinke Marina in Curtice, Ohio Monday afternoon. The person was due
Coast guard crews found a boater reported to be missing on Lake Erie Tuesday morning.
Tuesday, May 21 2013 5:32 AM EDT2013-05-21 09:32:35 GMT
Toledo firefighters are on the scene of a house fire on the city's East side. Firefighters were called to a home on Thurston Street between Woodville Road and Starr Avenue just after four this morning. There
Toledo firefighters battled flames at two homes on Toledo's East side Tuesday morning.
Tuesday, May 21 2013 12:23 AM EDT2013-05-21 04:23:10 GMT
A twister ripped through the Lake Township area almost three years ago. The community is pretty much back to normal, but residents still remember the horror that hit their neighborhood in 2010.
A twister ripped through the Lake Township area almost three years ago. The community is pretty much back to normal, but residents still remember the horror that hit their neighborhood in 2010.
Monday, May 20 2013 11:18 PM EDT2013-05-21 03:18:47 GMT
For some people in Northwest Ohio, the image of a massive tornado is something they only see on TV. But Allan Detrich puts himself directly in their path."Seeing the storms out in the plains, they're
A local man remembers being in Oklahoma City in 1999, when a massive tornado ravaged the city. Allan Detrich of Fremont says the area was devastated and Monday's tornado reminds him of what happened some 14 years ago.
Monday, May 20 2013 11:15 PM EDT2013-05-21 03:15:43 GMT
Thousands of shipwrecks rest close to home and some local divers are on a mission to discover them. The weather on Lake Erie can be violent at times without much warning. Darkness, fog, wind and waves
Local divers are on a search to discover some of the thousands of shipwrecks on the bottom of Lake Erie.
Rescue crews are working through the night after a monstrous tornado barreled through the Oklahoma City suburbs, demolishing an elementary school and reducing homes to piles of splintered wood.
Spotlights bore down on massive piles of shredded cinder block, insulation and metal as crews worked through the night lifting bricks and parts of collapsed walls where a monstrous tornado barreled through the Oklahoma City...
Monday, May 20 2013 11:11 PM EDT2013-05-21 03:11:56 GMT
A monstrous tornado at least a half-mile wide roared through the Oklahoma City suburbs Monday, flattening entire neighborhoods with winds up to 200 mph. At least 51 people were reported killed.
A monstrous tornado at least a half-mile wide roared through the Oklahoma City suburbs Monday, flattening entire neighborhoods with winds up to 200 mph. At least 51 people were reported killed.
Tuesday, May 21 2013 6:30 AM EDT2013-05-21 10:30:27 GMT
Coast guard crews are searching for a missing boater in Lake Erie. Authorities aren't releasing a name, but they say this person left Meinke Marina in Curtice, Ohio Monday afternoon. The person was due
Coast guard crews found a boater reported to be missing on Lake Erie Tuesday morning.
Tuesday, May 21 2013 6:15 AM EDT2013-05-21 10:15:41 GMT
Investigators with the arson unit have a person of interest custody possibly linked to a fire at 727 Euclid.The fire started before 4:30 this morning on Euclid near Starr.Investigators say it was a vacant
Investigators with the arson unit have a person of interest custody possibly linked to a fire at 727 Euclid.
Tuesday, May 21 2013 5:32 AM EDT2013-05-21 09:32:35 GMT
Toledo firefighters are on the scene of a house fire on the city's East side. Firefighters were called to a home on Thurston Street between Woodville Road and Starr Avenue just after four this morning. There
Toledo firefighters battled flames at two homes on Toledo's East side Tuesday morning.
Tuesday, May 21 2013 12:23 AM EDT2013-05-21 04:23:10 GMT
A twister ripped through the Lake Township area almost three years ago. The community is pretty much back to normal, but residents still remember the horror that hit their neighborhood in 2010.
A twister ripped through the Lake Township area almost three years ago. The community is pretty much back to normal, but residents still remember the horror that hit their neighborhood in 2010.
Monday, May 20 2013 11:18 PM EDT2013-05-21 03:18:47 GMT
For some people in Northwest Ohio, the image of a massive tornado is something they only see on TV. But Allan Detrich puts himself directly in their path."Seeing the storms out in the plains, they're
A local man remembers being in Oklahoma City in 1999, when a massive tornado ravaged the city. Allan Detrich of Fremont says the area was devastated and Monday's tornado reminds him of what happened some 14 years ago.
Monday, May 20 2013 11:15 PM EDT2013-05-21 03:15:43 GMT
Thousands of shipwrecks rest close to home and some local divers are on a mission to discover them. The weather on Lake Erie can be violent at times without much warning. Darkness, fog, wind and waves
Local divers are on a search to discover some of the thousands of shipwrecks on the bottom of Lake Erie.
Monday, May 20 2013 6:37 PM EDT2013-05-20 22:37:02 GMT
Portions of Moore, Oklahoma were ravaged by a mile-wide tornado this Monday afternoon. This follows a near-record quiet start to tornado season. Strong storms may reach northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan by Tuesday.
Portions of Moore, Oklahoma were ravaged by a mile-wide tornado this Monday afternoon. This follows a near-record quiet start to tornado season. Strong storms may reach northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan by Tuesday.
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