Tony Ray Atkinson

Tony Ray Atkinson, 78, died of Parkinson's, Nov 4, 2025, missing his 79th birthday by just 7 days.
Tony was born November 11, 1946, in teeny Plainview, Arkansas with a knife under the mattress to cut his mother's pain. He moved to Farmington when he was 10.
Tony was a 1964 graduate of FHS. After high school, Tony went to California to go to an independent Computer Institute in Long Beach. After computer school, Tony enrolled in CSU Long Beach. And it was in Long Beach he met Cheri.
Instead of graduating college, he began working at Transamerica in Los Angeles as a coding specialist and taking in-house workshops. At that time, the computer "room" was in the sub-basement and covered an entire city block. Of course, it WAS 1970.
He returned to Farmington in 1977 to computerize county records. He continued to manage the IT Department while branching out to become County Manager for 17 years. He retired from the County then went on to be County Commissioner for 8 years and then to the advisory board of San Juan Regional for an additional 8 years. By then, his Parkinson's had really become apparent.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Duane and Ernesteen Atkinson. Also, his grandparents, Clytie Ozelma and Jesse Ernest Bair.
He is survived by his wife, Cheri, of 57 years and their daughter, Jennifer Jones and her husband Donny. He is also survived by a sister, Veda Mobley and her husband Kirk. He is survived, too, by our granddaughters Molly Johnston, Hannah Jones, Brooklyne Benson and her husband Michael; McKenna Fernandez and her husband Jeremiah, and our grandson, Rhylee Jones. Any many aunts, uncles and cousins in Arkansas.
His Celebration of Life will be Friday, November 14 at 2:00 pm at the Farmington Elks Lodge at 801 N. Municipal Drive (Airport Drive).
Everyone is encouraged to wear happy Hawaiian shirts or happy bright colors!