WP_20150312_003Vern A. Atkins Jr. beloved husband, father, grandfather, and friend passed away March 9th 2015.  Junior as he was referred to by his immediate family when he was little was born on March 9th 1941 in an upstairs apartment in Springfield Missouri to Vern A. Atkins Sr. and Hazel V. Atkins (Haden). Junior always told the story of how his family used an open dresser drawer to place him in after birth in the absence of a crib.  Vern died at the age of 74 in his home surrounded by his family after battling liver cancer for over 5 years. Vern was an avid collector of cast iron toys, antique jars, speedway memorabilia, old records, and all things related to photography, as in his words ‘interesting things I like”. He spent time in almost every career possible from professional photographer at the speedway to antique dealer, to antique car restoration, to owning several businesses including a scavenger company, and a custom foam rubber cutting business. He called all of his endeavors “Vern Atkins Enterprises”. Throughout his life he especially enjoyed music playing it until all hours of the day and night on his basement sound system, and out on the water with friends and family while night cruising on his pontoon boat. He was an expert in 50″s music and received calls all hours of the night with friends asking “who recorded this song”. He and his wife Sharron traveled and enjoyed white water rafting, camping, 4 wheeling in the Colorado Rockies, fishing and just being with family and friends. Vern is survived by his wife of 52 years Sharron Lynne Atkins (Parks), His daughter Krista Lynne May (Atkins) and her husband Terry May and their three children Katie Lynne (13), Kiley Grace (12), and Zachary James (9), His son Richard Grayson Atkins and his wife Elissa Atkins (Johnson) as well as their three children Maxwell Logan (17), Miles Grayson (13), and Montgomery Cohn (8), His son V.A. Atkins III and his wife Diane Atkins (Brust) and their two children V.A. Atkins IV and Cheyenne Kay-Lynn as well as one brother John Richard Atkins and his wife Dianna Atkins (Roberts).
No services are planned at Vern’s request but he was forever rescuing dogs, and passionate about giving them a safe and loving home after others had given up on them.  Therefore, contributions honoring his life can be made in his name to the Hamilton County Humane Society.