Timothy Allen Tanksley, 69, ran financial consulting firm

THERE'S LITTLE doubt that Tim Tanksley could have found a good job if he had wanted one. He always passed the pre-employment tests with flying colors.

He just didn't want a job.

"Tim was probably the most driven to be his own boss, and he never abandoned that goal," his family said.

As a result, Tim, often with his late brother, Richard, started many businesses, the most successful of which was a financial consulting firm with offices in Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and his hometown of Camden.

Their combined expertise and dedication kept the business going in the 1980s and early '90s, until Tim became ill and couldn't handle it anymore.

Timothy Allen Tanksley, a devoted family patriarch, died Monday, 10 days after his 69th birthday. He lived in West Oak Lane.

He had suffered in recent years from diabetes and other health issues. But even after illness forced him to close the consulting business, he continued to pursue other projects.

"Some ideas were promising and some were not, but Tim was always convinced they would work," his family said.

Family members said they believed that Tim was inspired by his father, Warren M. Tanksley, a self-made building contractor who strove for perfection in all of his projects. He died in November 2012 at the age of 98.

Tim was born in Camden. His mother was the former Anna V. Johnson. He attended the Charles Sumner Elementary School where he played the mellophone, joined the marching band, and became a state champion marbles player.

When the school started a newspaper, Tim became the editor. He was also quite a dancer, specializing in his version of the "Crossfire." At Camden High School, he was the class treasurer.

He attended Cheyney University and Rutgers, where he joined with local employers to form the Bureau of Rutgers Employment and Development to find part-time work for students at the South Jersey campus.

When Tim decided to try for jobs, he excelled at the Wonderlic Cognitive Ability Test, getting perfect scores, but working for others was not for him.

"When all was said and done, we have to accept that Tim Tanksley did it his way," his family said.

Tim and brother Richard lived for a time with their sister, Sallie, in Gary, Ind. They were supposed to be looking for work, but, Sallie said, they spent most of their time on the phone with their girlfriends, the Stephens sisters, back home.

Tim wound up marrying Carole Stephens in 1972, and Richard married Vesta Stephens in 1968.

"When Tim was not consumed with a new business idea, he could be a fun person," his family said. "There was a time when he was the kind of pinochle player who could stay up all night long playing the game."

Besides his wife and sister, he is survived by a daughter, Tanya; a son, Mykel; a brother, Warren; and three grandchildren.

Services: 11 a.m. tomorrow at G. Frank Page Funeral Home, 1748 W. Erie Ave. Friends may call at 9 a.m. Burial will be private.