William Roland Bill Atkins

Bill Atkins of Bowie, MD, passed away on October 9, 2020 of renal failure. Bill was born to Wallace and Shirley (Brooks) Atkins on May 8, 1930 during the Great Depression. He was born in Mine Run, VA and grew up in Baltimore (Dundalk), Maryland. During his youth, he was a proud member of the Dundalk Drum and Bugle Corp. At age 18, he joined the Marines during the Korean War as part of the 11th Engineer Battalion. Bill played trumpet and bugle in the Marine Corp Band including performances at the Orange Bowl and the Rose Bowl. While stationed at Camp Pendleton, CA near the end of his service, Bill had the thrill of his life. He and 11 other Marines were assigned to RKO Studios to portray Marines in a John Wayne movie, Flying Leathernecks. Bill never grew tired of telling stories of the filming of the movie and his interactions with John Wayne and Robert Ryan. He was an avid John Wayne fan throughout his life and in later years opened his own "John Wayne Museum" to display his wealth of memorabilia. 

Bill is survived by his loving daughter and only child, Dr. Darlene Atkins and by his son-in-law, Dr. Ron VandeLoo. He is also survived by his brother Robert Atkins "Bunky", sister-in-law, Margie Finamore, many loving nieces and nephews, and many cherished friends. He lost his beloved wife, Rita Atkins, in 2009 after 54 years of marriage. Also, he was predeceased by his two older sisters, Marg Zorn and Gloria Strebeck and his best friend and brother-in-law, John Finamore. 

Bill worked as a bricklayer in his younger days and he designed and built the house that he still lived in. Bill went on to work in the wholesale wine industry and then became a real estate broker who specialized in the sale of liquor stores. Bill's passions were his family, his friends, his real estate career, and his John Wayne Museum. All those who knew Bill would agree that he was a real "character". Bill had a great sense of humor, was a born storyteller, and he embraced nostalgia while always seeking to learn new things. At age 80, he got his first computer and became a huge fan of Facebook. 

Due to the COVID pandemic, a celebration of Bill's life will be held virtually. Burial at Mt. Olivet Cemetery will be private.