William "Bill" Henry Atkinson Jr.

After a brief illness, William H. (Bill) Atkinson, 87, passed away on Tuesday Feb. 10, 2015 at Kings Daughters Community Health and Rehabilitation Center in Staunton.

Atkinson was born on June 3, 1927. He served in the Army Air Corps during the last year of World War II. In later years, he participated in demonstrations against the war in Vietnam. He was a strong supporter of Doctors Without Borders. After the war, he earned a BA from Columbia, a Masters from Harvard, and a Ph.D. from Rutgers in experimental psychology. He taught psychology at several colleges in New York and Pennsylvania before retiring from Pennsylvania State University. He founded the Afternoon Classics Book Discussion Group at the Staunton Public Library, which has been meeting on the second and fourth Wednesdays at 2 p.m. for over a decade. He was widely read, and very knowledgeable about classical music. He served on the board of Valley Symphonic Concerts to bring performances by the Richmond Symphony and Roanoke Symphony to the area. He loved sailing vacations and met his wife Judith on a cruise ship in 2000.

In addition to his wife of 14 years, Judith M. Atkinson, he is survived by his brother, Robert and sister-in-law, Jane Atkinson of DeBary, Florida and their three sons, Tom, Doug, and Ken

Reynolds Hamrick Funeral Homes of Staunton are in charge of arrangements.

There will be no visitation at the funeral home.

A Funeral Mass will be conducted at 10:00 am, Tuesday, February 17, 2015 at St. Francis of Assis Catholic Church, 118 North Augusta Street, Staunton, VA. Burial to follow at Thornrose Cemetery.

Relatives and friends may share condolences and memories with the family online by visiting wwww.reynoldshamrickfuneralhomes.com.