BLADENSBURG – Joseph L. “Joe” Atkinson, 84, of Bladensburg, passed away on April 22, 2021, at Country Club Retirement Campus after a short illness. He was born on July 16, 1936, in Majorsville, West Virginia, to Alta Atkinson-Finch.
Joe started out working in the Ohio oil fields for Shuff and Busey. He served in the U.S. Army during the Berlin Wall crisis. After that, he was hired to work for one week for Continental Can Corporation in Mount Vernon, which turned into a career of 34 years.
Joe was proud to be a founding member and the first chief of the Bladensburg Volunteer Fire Department and Emergency Squad. He was loved for his deep caring for his family, his community and his generosity toward all those he knew. Joe was a member of the Grove Church of Christ.
He is survived by his beloved wife of 60 years, Janice; his children, Bradley (Ann) Atkinson and Kara (Farid Taha) Atkinson; grandchildren, Derek (Connie), Shayley (Mike), Frank and Annelise; great-granddaughter, Maddison; three step-great-grandchildren; and two nephews.
Joe was preceded in death by Alvira Buzzard, Bobby Atkinson and Bronwyn Elizabeth Rose.
Graveside funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, April 27, in Bladensburg Cemetery. The Knox County Joint Veterans Council will be conducting military graveside honors.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Bladensburg Fire Department.
To express a condolence or to share a memory with the family, please visit www.lasaterfuneralhomes.com.
The Lasater Funeral Home is handling the services for the Atkinson family.
