Mike, Peggy and Keni

My deepest sympathy to Peggy and their children on the loss of Mike.  He was such a special person who will be sorely missed by all of us who had the privilege of knowing him. 

He was the one of the nicest professors I ever had. He would always be easy to talk to and always invite me over to his house. Much love to his family and my prayers go out to them as well. 

Prayers and condolences to the family. 

sorry for your loss, i'm sure he is in heaven

So sorry for your loss,you and Mike are awesome neighbors we are going to miss him so much, loved hearing all the camping stories and spending time with him andRosco.Love you both❤️

Mike was a friend of my youth growing up in Gas City/Jonesboro, Indiana. We spent many a days and nights at my grandmother Duckworth’s home in Gas City. We played ball in her yard, learned how to shoot a BB gun, consumed copious amounts of chocolate chip cookies, rice crispy treats, and homemade fudge. Whenever we were going to spend time with her, we would always want grandmother to call Mike’s mother and invite him to come over. Mike and I had only recently reconnected through Facebook and had exchanged texts and messages. Margaret and I are lifting the Atkinson Family up in prayer. Rest in Peace my old friend. Your legacy will live on.

Allen & Margaret Baskett, Rome City, IN

I am very sorry to hear of Mike’s passing. I’ve known Mike since he was about three or four when his uncle Bob and I married. He was a very sweet boy and very feisty. God love him and his family. The world has lost a wonderful person. 

Helen McCollum 

Mike, I am really going to miss seeing you at Annica's many performances and school events in Bloomington. I am so glad you made the time to visit with Peggy and see a lot of Ben and Annica through the years. I have many great memories of being part of the Atkinson clan and saw firsthand then and more recently how you made sure your family and its many branches were strong and continued to gather and be there for each other. I have this very sweet memory of you and several of Ben's siblings driving up to Milwaukee at the end of the summer Ben and I got married, to pack the back of a pick-up truck with a few belongings and drive them down to Indiana. I think we danced a jig together in the back of that pick-up! Later when Annica was very small, you drove us down to the Great Smoky Mountains for a family week with Ben's siblings, even though Ben couldn't be there due to being in a study. I loved hearing about the many times you camped there when your kids were growing up, remembering this or that trail, or fun experience together, mapped across the entire National Park. I am very grateful to have felt so welcome and at home with your family and know they will miss your loving and thoughtful presence immensely. Annica and I will be thinking of you and honoring your memory, whether we are spying a creature in the deep woods, or playing with a beloved pet on the living room floor.

From Judy: I am completely destroyed & having a very difficult time even putting my thoughts into words. I received news of the sudden & unexpected passing of someone very dear to me this evening. My thoughts & prayers are with his family, & also with all of the others, like me, whose lives he touched. I met Doc in the spring of ‘91 & worked as his (“slave”/“servant”) lab assistant for 4 years in the Biology lab (the best boss I ever had!). He is the reason that I added (yes, added) majors, going from Elem. Education to adding Sec. Science Educ., to also completing a third degree in Biology because I signed up for every class the was offered under his instruction. He was an amazing teacher, an incredible mentor, & a wonderful, caring friend. Although we have stayed in touch over the years, I didn’t get to visit him in person nearly often enough. It is so difficult to imagine not being able to reach out to him with questions, for advice, or just to say “hi” & talk about what is going on in our lives. What I do know is that he enriched my world & created so many memories during my time at OCU that I will cherish for the rest of my life. Rest in peace, Doc. You have positively impacted more lives than most people can ever hope to do & the legacy that you have created will continue through those you leave behind. To say you will be missed is a vast understatement. Your absence will be very tangible whenever those who’ve known you gather together

From Nicole:

The Atkinson's were so kind to me and always welcomed me in, especially with weekends and holidays when I couldn't fly home to California, and I didn't have a car. He was my biology professor, but also such a great father figure to so many on campus, as I was friends with most of his kids!

One of my favorite memories was riding to church one day, and he abruptly pulled off the highway because he saw a dead mink on the side of the road! We took it with us because he thought it had a great coat and would be a great taxidermy project! 🤣❤️

In 2016 I took a year off of school because of an extreme hard season in my life. In 2017 I returned to OCU to finish my senior year. Dr. Atkinson knew about my hard season and upon seeing me for the first time since returning he gave me a great big hug and told me he was proud of me. I can’t tell you how much that meant to me. He was a great man and loved God’s creation. So thankful I got to be a part of his classroom. 

My name is Rebecca Fellows, OCU grad of 2018. I had the privilege of knowing Dr. Aktinson as a teacher and a friend. I worked on campus after graduation from 2018-2021. I worked as an administrative assistant in the School of Education at OCU as well as the assistant director of the OCU library and Mike was a good teacher and friend. I’m sending a photo to pass along to the family from Halloween of 2018, when we all got dressed up in the school of education and took pictures. I thought his family would like to see it. Please pass along my condolences and let them know he will be greatly missed. Thank you and God bless. 🙏❤️

Halloween party — with Rebecca Fellows