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Fred E. Atkinson was born September 5, l937, in Ketchikan in Southeast Alaska, the Salmon capital of the world, where he and his friends fished in Ketchikan Creek, swam at Buggy Beach, set pins at the local bowling alley and delivered the paper. Fred was a proud member of the Eagle Clan and of the Tsimshian tribe. He had two brothers, Percy and Bob, and two sisters, Pearl and Darlene, and two nephews, Larry and Dale. Some of his favorite memories growing up were catching salmon in the creeks and working on commercial salmon fishing trollers during the summers. He graduated from Ketchikan High in 1956 and went on to Haskell Institute in Lawrence, Kansas, to study auto mechanics. There he met Dorothy Cross and after graduation, they were married. They made their home in the California Bay Area where they raised their two daughters, Karen and Laurie. His daughters especially remember the family camping trips they took to Donner Lake, Lake Tahoe, Yosemite, skiing in the Sierra's, and many summer road trips to North Dakota. Fred worked as an engine rebuilder for many years in Oakland and San Jose. He then went to SLAC at Stanford where he worked as a ground mechanic until retirement. He loved the camaraderie and working at SLAC where he developed many friendships. He enjoyed running and he and his brother Bob ran many races around the Bay Area. He ran many marathons including Honolulu and Boston. He trained in Coyote Hills, Mission Peak, and Alameda Creek. Fred and Dorothy went to Hawaii, where he ran the Honolulu Marathon--one of his greatest personal achievements. Another of his favorite pastimes was to play pool and he had many home tournaments with his work buddies. He enjoyed traveling to Alaska, Washington, D.C., California, North Dakota, and on a recent trip to Alaska he and his sister, Darlene, did the ropes course and zip line in the rainforests of Ketchikan. He and Dorothy moved to Albuquerque in 2002 to be closer to family, especially their two grandsons, Kalen and Forrest. He loved telling them stories about his adventures while growing up in Ketchikan. He will be remembered by his family for being a good husband, father, and grandfather. He did what he was supposed to do and never veered from that course. We will miss him every day and will always remember all he did for us and taught us. He will be with us always and we will always remember his strong spirit and steadfast courage. A memorial for Fred will be held on Tuesday, December 28, 2010, at 2:00 p.m., at the Madonna Retreat Center, 4040 Saint Josephs Place NW, Albuquerque. Please visit our online guest book for Fred at RememberTheirStory.com. FRENCH 9300 Golf Course Rd. NW (505) 897-0300
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