Ellen Dowman Atkins

Ellen Dowman Atkins, age seventy-nine passed away on June 29, 2024. She was born January 21,1945 in Atlanta, Georgia at Emory University hospital to Joseph William Dowman and Jeanette Blackstock Dowman. She graduated from Decatur High School and Auburn University receiving a B.S. in Elementary Education. She was a member of Pi Beta Phi sorority and served for a number of years as an officer of the Savannah Pi Beta Phi Alumnae Club.

Ellen married Arthur (Chuck) Atkins in 1967. The couple and their daughters, Laurel and Joanna, lived in Georgia and also Dayton, Ohio. Ellen enjoyed teaching school for thirteen years in Bibb, Liberty and Chatham counties, Georgia. The opportunity to live in many different locations blessed her with many different career and social work paths. Ellen was a logistics management specialist for the International Logistics Center at Wright Patterson Air Force Base serving the country of Thailand. She began her antique business while living in Ohio through her love of collecting. She became interested in ballet and received the Friend of Dance Award from the Dayton Ballet.

After living in Ohio and twice in Macon, Georgia, Ellen moved to Savannah and lived there for twenty-two years. She continued her career as a Sales Associate with Haverty’s Furniture.

Throughout her adult life serving others was very important to her. She was a past president of the Macon Junior Woman’s Club and served on the board of the Vineville Neighborhood Association. Through her Macon Church, Northminster Presbyterian, she worked on many charitable projects. She was an active member of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Dayton serving on the mission committee and beginning her decades of work with Family Promise (Formerly National Interfaith Hospitality Network) assisting homeless families. Through her Savannah Church, Wesley Monumental UMC, she continued her mission Committee work and coordinated Family Promise volunteers.

Ellen is preceded in death by her parents and husband. Survived by her daughters, Laurel Parrish and Joanna Schmid (Jeff), and her grandchildren, Tristan and Eli Parrish; and sister, Nancy Kendrick.

A service will be held at 2:00 PM on Saturday, July 13, 2024 at Snow’s Memorial Chapel, 746 Cherry St., Macon, GA 31201. She will be laid to rest next to her husband, Chuck in a private service at Riverside Cemetery.In lieu of flowers, it is requested that donations be made to a charity of your choice in memory of Ellen D Atkins.