Donald D. "Don" Atkinson

August 7, 1928 - December 6, 2016

Donald D. “Don” Atkinson, 88, of Newark, Ohio died peacefully surrounded by family at his home on Tuesday, December 6th. His son, James D. Atkinson, said the cause was complications related to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD.) He was born on August 7th, 1928, in Newcomerstown, Ohio, a village in Tuscarawas County. He was preceded in death by his parents Perry and Grace, his younger brother Larry, and his wife Marilyn. For 40 years, he kept the lights on for local residents and businesses working as an electrician at Ohio Power Company. Atkinson started as an appliance serviceman in Coshocton in 1950 and moved to Canton in 1953 as a heating and air conditioning service engineer. He transferred to Newark in 1954 and was promoted to division service supervisor in 1964, service coordinator in 1967, and senior customer services representative in 1976, advancing to supervisor in 1985. He retired in 1990 as a building construction and maintenance supervisor at Newark. He graduated from Newcomerstown High School in 1946, and served in the U.S. Army from 1950-52, where he spent a year in Germany and earned the Army of Occupation Medal. On October 14th, 1955 he married fellow Newcomerstown native Marilyn Ann Kohler, with whom he had two children, James Donald and Julie Ann. He enjoyed golf, winning several local championships, and was a passionate hunter and fisherman. He was active member of the central Ohio community, belonging to New Home Lodge No. 338, Newark Moose Lodge 499, the Newark Maennerchor, and the Teheran Grotto, MOVPER. He is survived by two children and their spouses, three grandchildren and their spouses, and two great-grandchildren: James Donald and Beth Ann (Atkinson), Julie Ann and Jim Guinta, Adrienne and Salman (Suhail), James Kohl and Desirae (Atkinson), Tony (Guinta), James Perry (Atkinson), and Luke (Atkinson). A graveside service was conducted for the family on Saturday, December 10, 2016 at 10am at West Lawn Cemetery in Newcomerstown. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to The First Tee Central Ohio or the Sportsmen’s Alliance. Donations to The First Tee Central Ohio can be made online at www.thefirstteecentralohio.org or by mail at 7309 East Livingston Avenue, Reynoldsburg, OH 43068, and donations to the Sportsmen’s Alliance can be made online at http://www.sportsmensalliance.org or by mail at 801 Kingsmill Parkway, Columbus, OH 43229. Online condolences may be made at www.addyfuneralhome.com