Thomas C. Akin, Jr., 79, passed away after a long illness on August 2, 2022 at his home in New Bedford. He was the beloved husband of Helen (Azevedo) with whom he shared 61 wonderful years of marriage.
Born in Fall River, he was the son of the late Thomas and Margaret (Crawford) Akin and raised
in Portsmouth, Rl. He met his future wife Helen at a Lincoln Park dance and moved to New
Bedford & Fairhaven where they raised three sons.
Tom worked as a welder for General Dynamics in North Kingstown RI for many years. Prior, he
worked at Goodyear and the Acushnet Process, as well as driving trucks for the Standard Times.
He was an adoring "Papa Tom" to his grandchildren and loved spending time with them. He also
enjoyed going for long drives and watching the Red Sox and Patriots.
In addition to his wife, Helen, he is survived by three sons, Kevin Akin and wife, Catherine
Roussos of Assonet, Kirk Akin and wife, Bethany (Blanchard) of Middleboro, and Keith Akin
and wife Linda (Brown) of Norfolk, VA; two sisters, Tommie-Jean Haverlack of Englewood, FL
and Marilyn Machado of St. Petersburg, FL; eight grandchildren: Nathan and Nicole, Kayla,
Kelsey, and Kyle, and Christopher, Amanda, and Angelica; and several nieces and nephews. He
was the brother of the late Charles "Bill" Akin and the late Carolyn Walters.
His services are private and under the direction of the ROCK FUNERAL HOME, 1285 Ashley
Blvd., New Bedford, MA 02745. For online tribute: www.rock-funeralhome.com. In lieu of
flowers, donations may be made to The American Lung Association, 1661 Worcester Road, Unit 301, Framingham, MA 01701 or www.lung.org.
