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Established 1948    Billy "Bill" Lee Atkinson entered into eteranl life with his Lord peacefully Wednesday night, December 11, 2019 at Texoma Medical Center. Bill was born October 24, 1926 in Harrah, Oklahoma, son of Robert Lee Atkinson and Virginia L. Coffman Atkinson. He was preceded in death by his wife, Juanita Wright McKee Atkinson; parents; daughter, Wanda Lee McKee Eldredge of Sherman; granddaughter, Lisa Lyn Eldredge of Dallas; and great-grandson, Bryan Eldredge of Eufaula, Oklahoma. Bill is survived by sons, John McKee and wife, Ellen, of Dallas; and Michael Atkinson of Beaumont, Texas; grandsons, Joe and wife, Katie Eldredge, of Eufaula, Oklahoma; and Steve and wife, Katie Eldredge, of Eufaula, Oklahoma; and Steve and wife, Dianne Eldredge, of Allen, Texas; 3 great-grandchildren: Melissa, Dalton and Connor Eldredge. Bill graduated from Denison High School in 1943 at the age of 16. He went to work for Katy as a section on the tracks, worked 2 or 3 months making $1 per hour and received a social security number here. He then went to work for Southern Ice loading ice in rail cars. Bill didn't known Katy had given him a social security number; Southern Ice assigned him another one. He served honorably in the Navy, joining in August 1944. He was drafted into Radar School, was sent to the Philippines as a unit, landed in Subic Bay and quartered out on Grande Island and stood radar watch. His unit was broken up and he moved to landing aircraft and the ship then sent to Shanghai up the Yangtze River. He was mustered out in August 1946 with $400. He enlisted in the Naval Reserves. Bill sought employment with the telephone company while still in the Reserves. He was called up in 1953 and sent to San Diego due to the Korean conflict. The telephone company guaranteed him his job for one year. He returned to work at the telephone company for 44 years at Southwestern Bell/AT&T. Bill married the love of his life, Juanita, on January 2, 1953. They remained in Denison residing their entire married at 1131 W. Morgan. There is not much he could not do: carpentry, automotive repairs, climbing telephone poles. He loved the Lord, a faithful follower and a Bible scholar. You could mention a topic and he could tell you where it was located in the Bible. He and Juanita were instrumental in starting Parkside Baptist Church as a charter founding member and attended for decades. Following that they were part of the founding of New Beginning that they dearly loved to serve. Bill followed Juanita to the church she was baptized in as a child, Hagerman Baptist Church and he remains a member there today. Bill ("Pops", "Dad," "Daddy," "Bill," "Granddad," "Uncle Bill," as known by his family will be sorely missed by all who loved him. In lieu of flowers, donations or contributions can be made to the Hagerman Baptist Church, 4619 Refuge Road, Sherman, Texas 75092 or to the organization of your choice. Funeral services provided by Fisher Funeral Home in Denison, Texas on Saturday afternoon, December 14, 2019. Interment service followed at Cedarlawn Memorial Park, Sherman, Texas. - - - FIsher Funeral Home  Cedarlawn Cemetery Susan Hawkins © 2024 If you find any of Grayson County TXGenWeb links inoperable, please send me a message. |