Robert Atkins, 85, of The Villages, FL died Saturday Oct 1, 2022.
Bob, as he was known to his friends, was preceded in death by his loving wife Marty. He was the father to 4 children, Debbie Woodall(Matt) of Farmington Hills, MI, Bob Atkins, Jr. (Lynne) of Katy, Texas, Craig Atkins(Pam) of Northville, MI, and Tom Atkins (Felecia) of Frisco, Texas. He was a wonderful grandfather to Cameron, Kelly(Brian) and Connor(Karlie) Woodall, Rob and Chris Atkins (Bailey), Cynthia Lynn(Bryan) Roos and Craig Atkins, Jr. (Victoria), and Brennan(Erin) and Brady Atkins, and Great-Grandfather to Owen Atkins, Mia, Gabriel and Bianca Roos and Brynlee Woodall, and Lainie Atkins.
Bob was born August 6,1937 in Kokomo, IN to Earl and Helen Atkins. He graduated from Cheboygan HS and played football at Alma College before starting a long and industrious career in education. Bob was an English and P.E. teacher and administrator of athletics at Redford Union High School and later at Walled Lake Schools. He coached baseball and football at Redford Union High School and coached baseball at University of Detroit. Bob was a successful summer league baseball coach, winning a A.A.B.A National Championship with Adray Appliance in 1978. Bob was inducted into the Michigan High School Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame in 2001 and the Redford Union Athletics Hall of Fame in 2020. Through his teaching and coaching, Bob impacted thousands of lives, and assisted several players in preparing and entering professional baseball.
An open house will be held at his house in The Villages, Florida on Saturday, October 9th from 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm. A Celebration of Life will be held at 1 Under, 35780 Five Mile Road #2, Livonia, MI 48154 on Oct 29th. The Celebration of Life service will begin at 11:00 am with reception to follow.
