Carol Pinkerton entered the presence of her Savior on October 17, 2026, almost two years after her husband, Jerry, passed away in October of 2024.
Jerry Pinkerton Jr. shares, “After several days of diminishing health, Carol passed away this evening. She was surrounded by family and did not suffer. She’s rejoicing now with our Savior! Please pass this along to her friends.”
Jerry and Carol Pinkerton were appointed in 1971, arriving on the field in 1974, and served among the pioneer IM missionaries who took the Good News of the Gospel to many people groups in various African regions. Carol served in many ministries in Côte d’Ivoire for over 30 years, all of which were vital in helping Ivorians know their Savior.
Carol faithfully reached people in Nissian, Bondoukou, Gouméré, Tanda, Bouna, Bouaké, Doropo, and Abidjan. She and Jerry reestablished and planted churches, mentored teen boys as dorm parents, provided sound biblical training to Ivorian leaders, managed medical equipment and met medical needs, and ministered to people from bush villages to metropolitan cities.
Carol is deeply loved by many Free Will Baptists in Missouri, Arizona, and beyond, who have supported their missionary service over the years. Lynette Morgan reflects on Carol’s love for Africa when she says, “My dad, Dr. Miley, and the Pinkertons were born and raised in the same Missouri town. And then we were all privileged to be a part of the Ivory Coast family of IM missionaries. Clint and I dearly loved Jerry and Carol. They never fully adapted back to America because their hearts stayed in Africa. You could not be around Carol long without the conversation turning to the Ivorian people. She will be deeply missed by all of us who loved her. But we know she is where she longed to be, with the Lord and Jerry.”
Beyond her field ministry, Carol inspired many others to engage in God’s Kingdom work around the world with zeal and passion. She was a great storyteller and writer; she authored the book Ivorian Bits and Pieces: Our Life and Time with People of Ivory Coast and was always ready to share her experiences and the Gospel with those she met. She also spread missions awareness by serving as a World Missions Offering Ambassador.
Clint Morgan shared, “Carol had an infectious laugh that could light up the room, a compassionate heart that gave love freely, and was constantly encouraging those she encountered. We are already seeing an outpouring of condolences from some of the believers they ministered to while in Africa. One of the African pastors shared that he was ‘saddened’ to hear of her passing but found ‘satisfaction’ in knowing she was with ‘Papa’ Jerry.”
Jerry and Carol retired from IM in December 2008. When recently contributing to a Q&A series for retired missionaries for the IM office in 2022, Carol shared her heart of thankfulness to those who went before them on the field. She said, “I want to express words of thanks and praises to the missionaries who were already or had been on the field before we arrived. They tilled the soil, planted the seeds, and in the Lord’s timing, He has and continues to bring fruit, even before our arrival.”
We know the fruit of her labors, and many others, continue to thrive because of her faithfulness to serve the Lord. Many regard her as a “true servant of God,” and we can say with confidence that the Lord welcomed her to Heaven with the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
You can read more about the Pinkertons’ impact in Ivory Coast in Into the Darkness here.
October 2026
