Around 7 AM on Wednesday, the 25th of November, Paul Atkins quietly and peacefully left us for a place that his old emesis, Cancer, can't follow. He was in bed with his beloved wife and his 3 dogs. I can think of no place he would rather have been. I'm sure that Cancer thought that it was going to be an easy fight when it delivered a Stage 4 sucker punch in early 2008.
Unfortunately for Cancer, the Atkins family has never believed in a fair fight, and we bring friends. Dad, supported by his family, friends, his community, and some of the best doctors that a Bureau of Prisons retirement can buy, turned that fight into a 12-year war. Even as his body was slowly ground down over the years, the core of the man remained. Loud, boisterous, irreverent
humor was followed by quiet, loving wisdom and never-ending support for his family, his friends, and his community. He took pride in anything he did, whether it was his career, his service to his church, his service to Mobile Meals, or just soundly trouncing me at his favorite game: Words with Friends.
When I called him for the last time, just 2 days before he passed, he was just getting up and taking care of his morning routine, something that took every ounce of the energy he had left. Even though he was clearly winded and his voice was strained by fresh pain not-yet-blunted by his morning meds, he took the time to ask me how my job was going. He listened to me vent about some minor problems, reassured me that I could handle all of them, and then he told me that he loved me and Kola and our girls. Saying "I love you" is something our family always does, because you never know which encounter might be your last.
Dad is survived by his beloved wife (Jeannie), 3 brothers (Clarence, David, and Bruce), his son (Matt), 6 grandchildren (Mattie, Mae, Breanne, Maggie, Paulie, and Jojo), and too many nieces and nephews to count. He was preceded by his parents (Marge and Middie), his brother (Carl), his sister (Grace), his son (Joey), his father-in-law (Joe), and his sister-in law and fellow Cancer Warrior (Jo Lea).
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Russell-Murray Hospice, Pets and People Humane Society, or the Prostate Cancer Foundation
Unfortunately for Cancer, the Atkins family has never believed in a fair fight, and we bring friends. Dad, supported by his family, friends, his community, and some of the best doctors that a Bureau of Prisons retirement can buy, turned that fight into a 12-year war. Even as his body was slowly ground down over the years, the core of the man remained. Loud, boisterous, irreverent
humor was followed by quiet, loving wisdom and never-ending support for his family, his friends, and his community. He took pride in anything he did, whether it was his career, his service to his church, his service to Mobile Meals, or just soundly trouncing me at his favorite game: Words with Friends.
When I called him for the last time, just 2 days before he passed, he was just getting up and taking care of his morning routine, something that took every ounce of the energy he had left. Even though he was clearly winded and his voice was strained by fresh pain not-yet-blunted by his morning meds, he took the time to ask me how my job was going. He listened to me vent about some minor problems, reassured me that I could handle all of them, and then he told me that he loved me and Kola and our girls. Saying "I love you" is something our family always does, because you never know which encounter might be your last.
Dad is survived by his beloved wife (Jeannie), 3 brothers (Clarence, David, and Bruce), his son (Matt), 6 grandchildren (Mattie, Mae, Breanne, Maggie, Paulie, and Jojo), and too many nieces and nephews to count. He was preceded by his parents (Marge and Middie), his brother (Carl), his sister (Grace), his son (Joey), his father-in-law (Joe), and his sister-in law and fellow Cancer Warrior (Jo Lea).
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Russell-Murray Hospice, Pets and People Humane Society, or the Prostate Cancer Foundation
Around 7 AM on Wednesday, the 25th of November, Paul Atkins quietly and peacefully left us for a place that his old emesis, Cancer, can't follow. He was in bed with his beloved wife and his 3 dogs. I can think of no place he would rather have been. I'm sure that Cancer thought that it was going to be an easy fight when it delivered a Stage 4 sucker punch in early 2008.
Unfortunately for Cancer, the Atkins family has never believed in a fair fight, and we bring friends. Dad, supported by his family, friends, his community, and some of the best doctors that a Bureau of Prisons retirement can buy, turned that fight into a 12-year war. Even as his body was slowly ground down over the years, the core of the man remained. Loud, boisterous, irreverent
humor was followed by quiet, loving wisdom and never-ending support for his family, his friends, and his community. He took pride in anything he did, whether it was his career, his service to his church, his service to Mobile Meals, or just soundly trouncing me at his favorite game: Words with Friends.
When I called him for the last time, just 2 days before he passed, he was just getting up and taking care of his morning routine, something that took every ounce of the energy he had left. Even though he was clearly winded and his voice was strained by fresh pain not-yet-blunted by his morning meds, he took the time to ask me how my job was going. He listened to me vent about some minor problems, reassured me that I could handle all of them, and then he told me that he loved me and Kola and our girls. Saying "I love you" is something our family always does, because you never know which encounter might be your last.
Dad is survived by his beloved wife (Jeannie), 3 brothers (Clarence, David, and Bruce), his son (Matt), 6 grandchildren (Mattie, Mae, Breanne, Maggie, Paulie, and Jojo), and too many nieces and nephews to count. He was preceded by his parents (Marge and Middie), his brother (Carl), his sister (Grace), his son (Joey), his father-in-law (Joe), and his sister-in law and fellow Cancer Warrior (Jo Lea).
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Russell-Murray Hospice, Pets and People Humane Society, or the Prostate Cancer Foundation
Unfortunately for Cancer, the Atkins family has never believed in a fair fight, and we bring friends. Dad, supported by his family, friends, his community, and some of the best doctors that a Bureau of Prisons retirement can buy, turned that fight into a 12-year war. Even as his body was slowly ground down over the years, the core of the man remained. Loud, boisterous, irreverent
humor was followed by quiet, loving wisdom and never-ending support for his family, his friends, and his community. He took pride in anything he did, whether it was his career, his service to his church, his service to Mobile Meals, or just soundly trouncing me at his favorite game: Words with Friends.
When I called him for the last time, just 2 days before he passed, he was just getting up and taking care of his morning routine, something that took every ounce of the energy he had left. Even though he was clearly winded and his voice was strained by fresh pain not-yet-blunted by his morning meds, he took the time to ask me how my job was going. He listened to me vent about some minor problems, reassured me that I could handle all of them, and then he told me that he loved me and Kola and our girls. Saying "I love you" is something our family always does, because you never know which encounter might be your last.
Dad is survived by his beloved wife (Jeannie), 3 brothers (Clarence, David, and Bruce), his son (Matt), 6 grandchildren (Mattie, Mae, Breanne, Maggie, Paulie, and Jojo), and too many nieces and nephews to count. He was preceded by his parents (Marge and Middie), his brother (Carl), his sister (Grace), his son (Joey), his father-in-law (Joe), and his sister-in law and fellow Cancer Warrior (Jo Lea).
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Russell-Murray Hospice, Pets and People Humane Society, or the Prostate Cancer Foundation
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