Adaline M. Atkins

Adaline M. Atkins ANNVILLE Adaline M. Atkins died on September 22, 2014. She was 91. A gracious lady with a sharp wit and ever-present air of mischief, Mrs. Atkins was active and fiercely independent until her death. Mrs. Atkins was born in Greensburg on January 14, 1923. Her childhood was difficult, but instilled in her a profound sense of appreciation for life's simple blessings. It also was the beginning of her lifelong love of art and devotion to animals, large and small. At age 21, she married her beloved James L. Atkins, prominent attorney and former district attorney of Lebanon County. While Mr. Atkins served as field director of the American Red Cross in Puerto Rico, he arranged for his young wife to move to Philadelphia in order to receive a formal art education at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Upon their return to Lebanon County, Mrs. Atkins devoted her time to raising a family and together they had three children. When the children were older, Mrs. Atkins worked as her husband's secretary in his law office, Atkins & Atkins. In their later years, the couple designed and built a grand country house where Mrs. Atkins planted and cultivated numerous gardens spread across acres. She immersed herself in her art and became an enthusiast of classical music and politics. She doted on her granddaughters and many afternoons, the Atkins' law office would briefly close so that the couple could walk across town to visit the girls during school recess. But in 1991, Mrs. Atkins suffered a profound loss upon the death of her husband - a loss from which she never truly recovered. In her final years, Mrs. Atkins devoted her days to portrait drawing and spent each evening with her family, their pets, and her longtime companion, Willie the parrot. She was an endless source of humor, joy, and happiness to all who knew her. Mrs. Atkins is survived by her three children, Cynthia, Brian, and Deana; and three grandchildren, Catharine, Abigail, and Elspeth. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in her memory to Marley's Mission, a nonprofit organization that uses equine-based therapy to assist child victims of trauma at: Marley's Mission, Inc., P.O. Box 505, Scranton, PA 18501. www.kreamerfuneralhome.com