Obituary of John Atkins

John D. Atkins was born in Tazewell, Tennessee on April 8, 1920. He was the son of the late Louis Elmer Atkins and the late Nancy (Daniels) Atkins. In 1941 he married the love of his life the former Beulah (Bea) Bowling in New Jersey, and from this union came the birth of a son. John served his country honorably as a member of the United States Army being the recipient of five Bronze Stars during World War II. He obtained the rank of Sergeant. John was a hard worker and worked hard his entire life. For more than Forty years he worked in paper manufacturing. John was employed in the Beater room for Consolidated Paper as well as10 years at Detroit Stoker until his retirement. John was a loving husband and father. He always put his family first finding ways to rearrange his work schedule to accommodate making his son's games and events. Later in life he experienced the joys of being a grandfather. John loved playing cards and fishing with his grandsons. He was an avid Detroit Tiger fan, and he was proud that he was present at Mark Fidrych's very first game. It was said that John was at home in Tennessee and although he drove slow enough in