Dr. William Henry Trinkner, 96, a retired dental surgeon; advocate and teacher of drug prevention education; avid pilot and dedicated churchman, died at home with his family by his side Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2011.

His family remembers him as a loving husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather and he was cherished by his family and friends.

He was born in Lafayette, Ind., Oct. 3, 1915, as the only child of William Ford Trinkner and Adeline M. Trinkner. Both parents were nurses and both contracted the worldwide pandemic flu of 1918.

His father died of the flu, leaving his mother to work long-term assignments as a private duty nurse. He would be raised by his grandparents, for the most part.

Both grandparents on each side of the family were farmers, and he often said his godly upbringing and hard farm labor made him the man he was through his 96th year.

He went on to work his way through Indiana Academy, Andrews University and then finished up his last four years at Emory University in Atlanta, where he graduated with honors as a doctor of dental surgery.

While at Emory he married his sweetheart, Doris Nelson, on June 13, 1940. After graduation he moved to Marietta, Ga., where he set up his first dental practice.

For 10 years he developed a thriving practice on the square in Marietta, then the Air Force requested his services for the duration of the Korean War. He managed two dental clinics in Korea and Japan, as a captain and then major.

After the war he returned home to his loving wife, Doris, and son, Bill, and daughter, Jeri, in Daytona Beach, Fla.

After a few months he got a call from a doctor friend stating that Carroll County, Ga., needed him a lot worse than Daytona Beach and it was off to Carrollton, Ga., where he practiced dentistry for 43 years.

He loved Carrollton, its people and the practice of dentistry. He dearly loved his dental team of more than 20 years, including Terry Williams “the best lab man east of the Mississippi,” he used to say. And who could ever forget Wilma Upchurch and Elsie Pate. “They’re what keep me out of trouble,” he used to say. He prided himself for never turning down a patient in need, no matter what hour of the day or night, and no matter whether they could even pay.

He and Doris both loved doing missionary work and they were instrumental in building the first Seventh-day Adventist church in Carroll County. They also volunteered their time to run a dental clinic on St. Kitts in the West Indies.

In 1996, after retirement, he went to work as a volunteer educator with the National Drug Advisory. His son, Bill, was the national director and corporate pilot.

Both he and Bill were avid pilots and time with the National Drug Advisory allowed them several great years to work together on the ground as well as their favorite place, up in the air. They spent many enjoyable hours flying the company plane to various seminars and speaking engagements.

He continued working with kids, DARE officers and parents until 2000, when his precious wife of 60 years, Doris, became terminally ill with cancer. The last six months of her life he never left her side.

He later married a nurse, Helen Moyers, in 2003. They spent seven happy years together at their lake house on the Hiwassee. They were both members of Cedar Ridge Seventh-day Adventist Church, where he served as head elder and teacher over the years.

He was preceded in death by his parents; William and Adeline Trinkner; his wife of 62 years, Doris; his second wife, Helen; and two grandsons: Tim Kelly and John Garren.

He is survived by his son, Bill and wife, Georgia, of Georgetown; a daughter, Jeri Kelly and her husband, Jim, of Collegedale; a grandson, Scott Trinkner and his wife, Sherri, of Georgetown; a granddaughter, April Johnson and husband, Drew, of Cleveland; a granddaughter, Wendi Trinkner, and her fiancé, Ryan Dorst of Breckenridge, Colo.; a granddaughter, Kristy Kelly, of Breckenridge, Colo.; and a brother-in-law, Harold Nelson, of Hurst, Ill.

Also blessing his life were seven great-grandchildren: Ben Trinkner, Nicole Trinkner, Dakota Steele, Logan Johnson, all of Cleveland, Emily Ensley, of Midlothian, Va., Erica Ensley, of Cleveland, and Jillian Hill, of Killeen, Texas.

A memorial service will be held at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011, at Collegedale Community Church, 4995 Swinyar Drive, Collegedale. Officiating will be pastors Jerry Arnold and Ed Cox.

The family will receive friends from 2 to 3:30 p.m. prior to the memorial service. A private graveside service for the family will be held at 11 a.m. today at Sunset Memorial Gardens.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions may be made to the Cedar Ridge Building Fund, Cedar Ridge SDA Church, 8408 Highway 60, Georgetown, TN 37336.

You are invited to share memories and/or your condolences with the family by visiting www.companionfunerals.com.

To see additional information on the William Trinkner memorial, visit www.WilliamTrinkner Memorial.info

Companion Funeral and Cremation Service has charge of arrangements.