Our beloved brother, Stephen Ellis Atkinson, passed away peacefully on Sept. 4, at St. Joseph Hospital in Santa Ana, California, after an extended illness. He was 85 years old.
He will be greeted by our Heavenly Father and friends and relatives who will rejoice and welcome him into his new home on high.
Steve, or Ellis as he was known at the time, was born in Green River on Aug. 14, 1933. He is the son of Hazen Lee Atkinson and Delceno Cornia Atkinson. He moved to Evanston with his family at an early age. He grew up in Evanston and graduated from Evanston High School, where he was the manager of the Evanston basketball and football teams for several years.
He was a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and honorably served as a missionary in the Southern States Mission as well as many other church callings throughout his life.
He was drafted into the Army during the Korean War and rose quickly to the rank of sergeant. He received engineering training at the Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy and graduated from Brigham Young University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree. He also attended college in California, where he received an additional degree in accounting.
Steve worked as a cost accountant in the aerospace industry for many years while residing in Orange, California.
He is survived by his brother, Dell Atkinson (Paula).
He is preceded in death by his sisters, Helen Atkinson Karcheski, Viola Audel and Naiomi Easton; and brothers, Edward, Floyd, Dean and Kenneth Atkinson. He also leaves behind many relatives who truly love him.
Funeral services will be held on Saturday, Sept. 15, at 10:30 a.m. at the LDS Stake Center, Santiago Creek Ward, 674 S. Yorba Street, S. Orange, California. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the LDS Humanitarian Fund — online at ldsphilanthropies.org/humanitarianservices or by mail to LDS Humanitarian Funds, 1450 N. University Avenue, Provo, UT 84604.
Condolences may be made to: Dell and Paula Atkinson, 740 N. Fern Street, Orange, CA 92867.
