Howard William Atkins

1912 - 1997  (84 years)

• Name	Howard William Atkins  [1, 2]
  Birth	7 Jul 1912	Amherst, Hampshire, Massachusetts   [1, 2, 3, 4]
  Gender	Male
  Death	15 Jun 1997	Northampton, Hampshire, Massachusetts   [3, 4, 5]
  Person ID	I313982	Descendants of William Hascall of Fontmell Magna (1490-1542)
  Last Modified	31 May 2022

  
  

  Father	William Henry Atkins,   b. 20 Oct 1871, Massachusetts d. 23 Dec 1952 (Age 81 years)
  Mother	Naomi Bridgeman Howard,   b. 31 May 1880, Belchertown, Hampshire, Massachusetts d. 3 Apr 1962, Amherst Center, Hampshire, Massachusetts (Age 81 years)
  Family ID	F124542	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Ruth Lillian Wheeler,   b. 25 Feb 1914, Worcester, Worcester, Massachusetts d. 20 Oct 1997 (Age 83 years)
  Marriage	1934  [5]
  Children	1. Living   2. Living   3. Living   4. Living
  Family ID	F124550	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	31 May 2022

  
  

• Notes

  Union-News (Springfield, MA) June 16, 1997 Howard W. Atkins, 85, of 256 Sabin St., a business and civic leader and proprietor of Atkins Farms Fruit Bowl, Amherst, died Sunday at Cooley Dickinson Hospital, Northampton. Born in Northampton, he attended local schools and graduated in 1934 from Worcester Polytechnic Institute with a degree in mechanical engineering. After a two-year stint at the Underwood typewriter factory in Hartford, Conn., he joined his father in operating the family apple farm started by his grandfather in 1887 with a small orchard of 100 trees. He bought the farm from his father in 1952 and gradually expanded the business, which is now a landmark on Route 116 in Amherst. He was a longtime member, deacon, and trustee of South Amherst Congregational Church. He was chairman of the town Finance Committee during the 1950s, and a member of the Board of Selectmen during the 1960s. He was chairman of the Amherst Community Chest, and personnel chairman for the town of Belchertown during the 1970s. He was also past director of the Eastern States Farm Exchange, and director of Agway Inc. and Curtis Burns. He leaves his wife of 63 years, Ruth L. (Wheeler) Atkins; two sons, Dale H. of Belchertown, and Daniel A. of Ware; two daughters, Merrilee Atkins Black of Cincinnati, Ohio, and Celia N. Ziegler of Campbell, Calif.; a brother, William C. of Amherst; a sister, Marjorie Atkins Elliott of Amherst; 12 grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

  
  

• Sources

  [S29780] 1920 census, Massachusetts, Hampshire county, Year: 1920; Census Place: Amherst, Hampshire, Massachusetts; Roll: T625_704; Page: 4A; Enumeration District: 138 (Reliability: 3). [S53724] Birth record, Massachusetts, Name: Howard William Atkins Birth Date: 7/7/1912 Birth Place: Amherst, Massachusetts, USA Father: Atkins (Reliability: 3). [S43361] Social Security Applications and Claims Index, Name: Howard William Atkins [Howard W Atkins] Gender: Male Race: White Birth Date: 7 Jul 1912 Birth Place: Springfield, Massachusetts Death Date: 15 Jun 1997 Father: William H Atkins Mother: Niomo Howard SSN: 032163230 Notes: Aug 1942: Name (Reliability: 3). [S53723] Death index, Massachusetts, Name: Howard W Atkins Certificate: 035616 Death Place: Northampton Death Date: 15 Jun 1997 Birth Place: Massachusetts Birth Date: 7 Jul 1912 (Reliability: 3). [S72239] Obituary, Union-News (Springfield, MA), Howard W. Atkins, (June 16, 1997).