Florence Rachel Scott Atkinson

Florence's maiden name was Florence Rachel Scott. Many of her friends called her Flo.

She was born on the Scott family farm, Grand Blanc Township, Genessee County near Flint, Michigan, December 5, 1911 to her parents, Ione May Smith and Erwin Wakeman Scott, Sr. She was the oldest of three children. Her childhood family consisted of her paternal grandparents, David Scott and Susan Smith, her parents and two brothers, Winston Murray Scott and Erwin Wakeman Scott, Jr.

Florence spent much of her adult life raising her sons, being a good wife, teaching public elementary school, tracking her ancestral family and traveling.

She is descendent from numerous early American family names, including: Adams, Allen, Baker, Brenner, Burnet, Cherry, Culver, Desborough, Elithorpe, Ford, Goode, Goodyear, Harriman, Harris, Hawley, Heaton, Hopkins, House, Johnston, Keister, Lathrop, Miles, Mix, Orvis, Prindle, Taft, Turner, Silliman, Scott, Scudder, Smith, Taft, Thompson, Wakeman, Ward, and Wilmont. The family migrated to South Texas in 1924.

She married Patrick Pat Joseph Atkinson Sr., on July 17, 1935 in Houston, Texas. Pat, born in Kerrville, Texas but raised in and around Lake Charles, Louisiana, was a commercially licensed radio engineer and worked for various radio stations in Texas including: KTRH, WOAI, KBOR, KGBS, & KGBT most of his career; his only deviation was to buy and operate an independent telephone company in Woodson, Texas during the mid to late forties.

Florence bore two sons, both born in Houston, Texas: Patrick Joseph Joe Atkinson, Jr. and Thomas "Scott" Atkinson.

Florence spent her life as a wife, mother and schoolteacher until her retirement in 1976.

During her lifetime, she lived in Genesse County, near Flint, Michigan; Chicago, Illinois; Lake Geneva, Wisconsin; Houston, Harlingen, Houston, San Antonio, Woodson, Los Fresnos, Brownsville, Lyford, Harlingen, Clear Lake City, Davilla and San Antonio, Texas.

Florence's education began when attending first grade in Chicago. She graduated from Harlingen High School, Harlingen, Texas in 1929. Her advanced education included several years at the University of Houston then later Pan American University, Edinburg, Texas where she graduated honors with a B.A. Degree in Elementary Education. Florence taught school in Raymondville, Lyford, Monte Alto and Sebastian, Texas, all in the Rio Grande Valley.

Upon retirement in 1976, she and her husband Patrick moved to Houston Clear Lake City and then to Davilla, Texas where they build and ran an RV Park known as Camp N' Fish. After Pat passed away on March 11, 1985, she continued to operate the RV Park until she no longer could physically handle it. After selling the RV Park, she moved to San Antonio in 1991 to live with her son, T. Scott and his wife Margaret.

Florence liked to read, travel, attend RV rallies, play card games, visit with extended family members and research her genealogy. She took many trips by herself by auto and train. She was a long-term member of the Loners of America LOAs and Loners on Wheels LOWs.

In recent years, she stayed closer to home, playing cards with her friends and visiting family. She fell and broke a hip in Jan 2002, while visiting her son, Joe, in Spring Houston, which lead to her moving into Heartland of San Antonio assisted living facility.

Her ashes will be buried with those of her late husband in the family plot at Forest Park Oak Lawn Cemetery on Hwy 45 near downtown Houston. Her mother and father are also buried there.

Florence was initially raised in the Baptist faith but converted to Methodism upon her marriage to Pat.

She was very generous with her time and resources to her family and many friends. She was a very family orientated person and spent considerable time with her grandchildren, nieces and nephews. She will certainly be missed.

Her family consists of two brothers, two sons, 4 grand-daughters, 1 grandson, 4 great grand-daughters, 6 great grandsons, 2 nieces, 1 nephew, 2 grand-nieces, 2 grand nephews, 3 great grand nephews, 1 great grand niece and many many friends, some listed are Elsie Brehm dec and Katherine Trussell dec of Houston; Hope Duff and Jean Fischnar of San Antonio.

She is survived by her family:

brother, Winston Murray Scott and wife, Mary Elise Tomlinson of Houston; niece, Carolyn Marie Scott and husband, Stephen Austin Rusty Marks; grandniece, Carol Lynne Squyres and husband, Arnold Gene Jones, great grandnephew, William Winston Jones, great grandnephew, Daniel Murray Jones, Grandniece, Cheryl Anne Squyres and husband, Mark Fransina; great grandnephew, Bradley Stephen Metcalf, great grandniece, Jessica Lynne Howell; niece, May Elise Scott and husband, George Henry Somerville; grandnephew, Shawn Michael Somerville; grandnephew, Travis Anthony Somerville; nephew, John Flynt Scott and wife, Susan Ballard; brother, Erwin Wakeman Scott, Jr, and wife, Pana Guadalupe Vicineci of Los Fresnos, Texas; son, Patrick Joseph Atkinson and wife, Francine Gonthier of Spring, Texas; granddaughter, Patricia Ann Atkinson and husband, Richard Berry Herschmann of Spring, Texas; great granddaughter, Maritza Claire Herschmann, granddaughter, Emily Anne Atkinson VanOrnum of Willis, Texas; great grandson, Justin Louis VanOrnum; great grandson, Tom Eugene VanOrnum, great grandson, James Alexander VanOrnum; grandson, Patrick Louis Atkinson and wife, Nikki Stevens of Conroe, Texas; great granddaughter, Laura Caye Atkinson, great grandson, Patrick Charles Atkinson; son, Thomas Scott Atkinson and wife, Margaret Ann Young of San Antonio, Texas; granddaughter, Margaret Elizabeth Atkinson and husband, Robert Tobola of Sugarland, Texas; great grandson, Russell Thomas Tobola; great granddaughter, Ellen Grace Tobola; granddaughter, Charlotte Elaine Atkinson and husband, James Webster Fischnar of San Antonio, Texas; great grandson, Stephen Pierce Fischnar; great grandson, Aaron Robert Fischnar, great granddaughter, Dersiree Claire Fischnar.

Florence was a member of Coker United Methodist Church.