Horace Leslie Akins, Jr.
On July, 18, 2013 Horace L. Akins, Jr. was taken by the Lord to join Frankie, his beloved wife of 61 years, in heaven. Horace enjoyed a full life of 92 years and retained his sense of humor to the end. He is survived by his two loving children, Dr. Tom Akins of Reno, Nv. and Mrs. Mary Akins Jordan of New Albany, Oh. , and by his precious grandchildren, Kyle Akins of Reno, Nv. and Kelly Akins, of Portland, Or.
Born in 1921, Horace grew up in Beckville, Panola County, Texas where, after graduating from Beckville H.S., he studied accounting in Dallas for a year. Horace then set out on the first big adventure of his life when he applied for a position with the US Army and was sent to the Panama Canal Zone as a personnel specialist. After the commencement of World War II Horace returned to the US and enlisted in the US Navy. Having completed his training, he was then assigned to the Pacific Theater of Operations and served as a communications specialist on Tinian in the Northern Mariana Islands. Horace achieved the rank of Chief Petty Officer and served until the end of the war. Upon returning to Dallas he began his career in real estate development with the Jim Akins Company. Shortly thereafter he met his true love, Frankie and they were married in 1948. Horace was then recalled to service for the Korean Conflict and was posted to Japan where he served until the end of that conflict. He returned to Dallas and continued to work with his brother Jim until he retired to his ranch in Beckville in 1967. Horace and Frankie moved to Longview, TX. in 1972 where they lived until they moved to Reno, NV. in 1994. Horace was a member of South Reno Methodist Church and he resided at The Classic in Reno until his passing. Anyone who ever met Horace would remember him for his warmth of character and his wit. He always had a story or two and when he shook your hand he would squeeze it and ask "Is that all you got, son?" Horace would know everyone in a room after an hour because he was genuinely interested in your life story and would talk about sports or politics for as long as you wanted. An avid golfer for most of his life, Horace was a kind and generous man who will be deeply missed by his family and all who had the privilege to know him during his lifetime
The family plans to have a memorial celebration of his life later in the year.
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Published in Reno Gazette-Journal on July 23, 2013
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