Arlis Atkinson

Arlis Dean Atkinson was born July 29, 1945, in Clarksville, Arkansas. He went to be with the Lord and loved ones Saturday, April 18, 2020.

He was a proud member of the Sarasota (Florida) Masonic Lodge No. 147 F&AM and was a 32nd-degree Scottish Rite Master Mason. He belonged to the Egypt Shrine Temple in Tampa, Florida, and was a member of the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels.

He started his career in the construction trade. Over the past 38 years, he was a business owner and entrepreneur, serving as president of Atkinson Plastering & Drywall, founding partner of Atkinson Realty & Auction, and managing partner of Jencor Realty Management.

When it came to giving and thinking of others, Arlis will be fondly remembered. He enjoyed seeing people succeed in life and was always willing to lend his many years of experience to anyone willing to listen and learn. His giving heart was always evident in the blessings he received when he was able to give to his local churches and those closest to him. He was a man who wholeheartedly believed it is better to give than to receive.

Spending time in the outdoors was a favorite pastime of his. He enjoyed hunting, and he especially enjoyed being on the water, showing friends local sites and instilling the love of fishing in his grandchildren.

Arlis will be greatly missed by those who knew and loved him. His many life lessons and the love he shared will carry on for many generations.

He leaves behind his wife of 56 years, Linda Kay Rhodes Atkinson; son, Mark Arlis Atkinson, and his wife, Michelle Keller Atkinson; daughter, Chanda Kay Atkinson Hampton, and her husband, John Hampton Jr.; grandchildren, Joshua Hampton and his family, Rachael Owens Hampton, Lillian and Oliver, Mason Atkinson, Austin Hampton, Marshall Atkinson, Madison Atkinson and Logan Hampton; sisters, Naomi Atkinson Newman and Anna Jo Atkinson Wagganer; and brother, John Davis "J.D." Atkinson.

Arlis was preceded in death by his parents, Homer Herbert and Emma Anna Parsons Atkinson; brothers, Clois and Herbert J. "Bill" Atkinson; and sisters, Amy Atkinson, Ila Fay Atkinson and Betty Atkinson McCulley Parker.

Online condolences may be made at www.fordandsonsfuneralhome.com.

Announcement courtesy of Ford and Sons Funeral Home.