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Philip Frank Atkinson
November 28, 1929 - November 13, 2020
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Philip Frank Atkinson died November 13, 2020, at the age
of 90 years old.
He was born at home near Ponca City, OK on November 28,
1929, the sixth son to the late Avis and Ivy (Cook) Atkinson. He
was preceded in death by five brothers, Leonard, Walt, Ira, Ken,
and Ernest.
The family moved to Kansas in his early years and he
attended school there, graduating from Fall River High School in
1947. Following a year of college, he joined the U.S. Navy,
proudly serving his country for 30 years. He served aboard many
ships during his enlistment, including the USS Walke which was
struck, and nearing sunk by a torpedo, off the Korean coast,
killing many on board. Injured during the incident, he denied
the purple heart, claiming “he was only doing his job”.
Following his retirement from the U.S. Navy, he was
manager of Howard Johnsons Motor Lodge in Kenosha, WI for 17
years. He also worked at Kenosha Title for a number of years and
volunteered his time to Veterans of Foreign Wars, American
Legion, Salvation Army, “Meals on Wheels” and the Rotary
International receiving the Paul Harris award. He also
faithfully attended the Wesley United Methodist Church, Kenosha,
for 51 years.
Phil was a big fan of John Deere tractors, small engine
repair and maintaining his lawn and garden.
He and Atha Brooks were joined in marriage on March 31,
1951. They have been blessed with 69 years of marriage.
He is survived by his wife Atha; two daughters, Sheila
(Alan) and Judy (Dave), and two sons, Duane and Ken; five
grandchildren, Philip, Ryan, Ashley, Kurt, and Ian; and two
great-grandchildren, Leo and Declan; a sister-in-law Betty Lou
Atkinson; and nieces and nephews, Rita, Jim, Linda, Arsula,
Doreen, Karen, Rocky, and Iris.
Memorial services will be held 11:00 a.m. on Saturday
November 21, 2020, at Wesley United Methodist Church, Kenosha.
Please call the church at 262-654-8702 if you plan to attend, as
numbers are limited. Please copy and paste the following link to
livestream the service https://www.facebook.com/WesUMC/live/
Philip’s cremains will be placed in Southern Wisconsin
Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Union Grove, WI at a later date. In
lieu of flowers, those desiring may make contributions to Wesley
United Methodist Church or the Salvation Army, in his memory. |
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