CHARLES L. "CHUCK" ATKISON

1941 - 2020

Charles L. "Chuck" Atkison, age 79, passed away on Monday morning, November 16th, 2020 at Highland Oaks Apostolic Christian nursing home in Elgin. He was born in Greencastle, Indiana on March 8, 1941 and was the son of the late Fredrick and Ruby (Hendrix) Atkison. He attended Waveland High School in Greencastle until his senior year when he moved to Effingham, Illinois. As a senior at Effingham High School, Chuck played basketball, football, baseball, and ran track. He graduated from Eastern Illinois University with a degree in education and was hired as a 6th grade teacher in School District 15 in Palatine. After only teaching for one year, he began his career as a principal for the next 28 years. He earned a Master's Degree from Northern Illinois University in administration. During the summers, he worked hard as a house painter. He retired from District 15 as the Transportation Director in 1998. Chuck loved to fish and fillet his catch in his spare time for his family to eat. He loved bird watching, even when driving, often pointing out the window, and driving his family crazy on road trips. He sure loved to whistle, and rarely could he sit still. At the first sight of snow, he was outside clearing off the driveway. He taught his kids how to cut the lawn, paint a house, work hard in school, be competitive in sports, and yes, how to fillet their own fish. All of these activities were precious to him, but the most important part of his life was spending time with his wife, Kathy. They loved to travel together and winter in Florida. Chuck is survived by his wife, Kathy; two sons, Curt (Misty) Atkison and Craig (Justine) Atkison; his daughter, Cindy (Tom) Bernstein; six grandchildren, Samantha, Connor, Quintin, Dylan, Tommy, and Tori; and two sisters, Elizabeth Brown and Norma (Lowell) Shaw. Chuck's family and friends will be holding a private memorial service when times permit us all to be together again. Memorial contributions are welcome and can be made to the Highland Oaks Apostolic Christian nursing home (highlandoakselgin.org) or to the Alzheimer's Foundation (act.alz.org). Our family would like to express their sincere thanks to all the nurses, staff, and caregivers at Highland Oaks Apostolic Christian nursing home, and really to all front line doctors, nurses, caregivers, and administrative staff who work so hard for those in need of healthcare. Your love and care of Chuck and our family will never be forgotten.