Jonathan Tinch was born January 31, 1990 in Connersville, Indiana to Matt Tinch and Becky Baker Bruns. Residing in Everton, Indiana, Jonathan loved to hunt and fish while growing up. He attended Franklin County High School and graduated in 2008. After graduation, he served with the U.S. Navy aboard the USS Reuben James FFG 57 and was stationed in Pearl Harbor. He served as Information Systems Technician Petty Officer 3rd Class. While deployed, Jonathan became ill with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). He had to return to the States to the Simon Cancer Center for treatment and on February 17, 2012, he passed away at IU Medical Center in Indianapolis.
The Jonathan Tinch Memorial Scholarship endowment was established in the Franklin County Community Foundation. After the fund reaches $5000, it will provide an annual scholarship to a graduating high school senior or current undergraduate or graduate college student who is a resident of Franklin County, Indiana or Fayette County, Indiana. The student must have been diagnosed with leukemia or another type of blood cancer or have someone in their immediate family who has been diagnosed with leukemia or another type of blood cancer. Immediate family includes parents, grandparents and siblings.