NOTE: Salina Post inadvertently left off the name of a surviving brother. His name has been added. We apologize for the error.
Michael L. Dinkel, age 54, of Clarksville, Ark., died Monday, May 3, 2021. He was born Oct. 10, 1966 in Salina to Vern and Mary (Aggie) Dinkel.
Mike grew up living life on the wild side. Always the first to show up early to a party and probably the last to leave. According to all his childhood friends, they all had a "hell of a good time" when he was around. It was a question he had for years how he even made it out of his 20s! He was down to earth, definitely outspoken, 100 percent stubborn, and had a hippy kind of soul.
His whole life surrounded nature. Whether it was crusin' the back roads jamming out to Ozzy Osborne or catching a view off a mountain top. He especially loved hunting and fishing with his son and got a kick out of calling his daughter 50 times a day just to remind her just how much he loved her.
Becoming a papa overjoyed him. When they were born and he finally got to meet them, each one got their own special nickname. He absolutely adored them!
During the summer of 2011, Mike met Margaret Johnson, who he fell in love with, cherished, and made his wife in the fall of 2012!
Mike was preceded in death by his parents, Vern and Mary Dinkel, and brother Cory Dinkel.
Survivors include his wife, Margaret Dinkel, of Clarksville, Ark.; a brother, Rick Dinkel of Bartlesville Okla.; a sister, Kris Dinkel Croston, of Andover, Kan.; a son, Derek Dinkel, of Dover, Ark.; a daughter, Jade Dinkel, of Salina; a stepdaughter, Cheree Stiggs, of Little Rock, Ark.; grandkids Kadynce, Noah, and Bentlee, of Salina; Gracie and Everett, of Dover, Ark., and Raydon, of Little Rock, Ark.
Mike's final wishes were to not have a funeral but instead, have a private ceremony with his wife, kids, and grandkids.