Irvin C. Atkinson

Irvin C. Atkinson, age 96, passed away Friday, May 5, 2017, at the Brookdale Senior Living Center, Dodge City, Kansas.

He was born August 30, 1920, at rural Plains, Kansas, the son of William Clyde and Clara Belle (Schmidt) Atkinson.  As a young boy he attended the Plains school system, graduating from Plains High School in 1938.  He later attended Fort Hays State University, receiving his Bachelor of Science degree in business on 1943.  He later attended Officers Training School at the University of Notre Dame and diesel training at the University of California, Berkley.  Upon completion of his training he was commissioned in the US Navy, serving on a mine sweeper in the Pacific Theatre during WWII. He crossed the Pacific all the way to Okinawa, Japan before the war ended. While serving on the ship he attained the rank of Lieutenant JG and became the ship’s skipper. After being honorably discharged, he returned to Meade County to work on the family farm.

On October 10, 1954, he married Pauline R. Hoskinson.  After their marriage the couple made their home in rural Meade County, where they farmed and ranched for 50 years.  The couple moved to Plains, KS in 1993 where they lived until 2013, when they moved into the Sterling House in Dodge City.  They celebrated their 60^th wedding anniversary in October, 2014.

While living in the Plains community, he was a member of the Plains Christian Church, serving as an Elder for many years.  He was also actively involved in community organizations, serving on the board of the P&K Credit Union, and the Meade County Soil Conservation Service.  He was awarded the Kansas Bankers Association Soil Conservation Award twice, in 1954 and in 2004, reflecting his long career as a farmer.

His life was one of service to his country, his church, his community, his friends, and his family.  He will be missed greatly by all.

He is survived by a daughter, Linda Burris (Bruce) Dodge City; a son, Galen Atkinson (Rhonda) Burleson, TX; 4 grandchildren, Shiloh Burris (Michele) Topeka, William Atkinson (April) Kyle, TX, Jennifer Boepple (Brandon) Cypress, TX, and Phillip Atkinson Burleson, TX; and 11 great-grandchildren.

He is preceded in death by his wife, Pauline on March 25, 2015; parents; two brothers, Harold and Loren Atkinson; and three sisters, Ethel Ramquist, Ruth Michael, and Erma Atkinson.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Monday, May 15, 2017, at the Plains Christian Church, Plains, with the Reverend Neal Foster presiding.  Friends may call from 1:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. Sunday with the family present from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. at Fidler-Orme-Bachman Mortuary, Meade.  Interment will follow in the Plains Cemetery, Plains.

The family would welcome memorials to the Brookdale Senior Living Center or the Young at Heart in care of the funeral home.