Cecil Frank Atkinson

June 7, 1929 - May 14, 2022

Posted

Cecil Frank Atkinson (“Cec”) was born to Cecil Joseph (“Scotty”) and Pearl Leona Atkinson on June 7, 1929, in Butte, Montana, and passed away in Port Townsend, Washington on May 14, 2022, after a period of declining health.

Cec was raised in Butte and on his grandparents’ ranch near Whitehall, Montana. He earned a Certificate in Business Writing from Butte Business College in 1945. Early jobs in Butte included working at Lisac’s gas station, driving for Ed Rohret, and then later for Kraft Foods. He became both an auto mechanic and truck driver by trade, and he had many amazing experiences he loved to share from his days driving semi-trucks in the 1940s and 1950s in and around Butte. He always loved cars, and liked to brag that he had the “fastest car in the valley!”

Cec met the love of his life, Beverly Jean (“Betty”) Mott in 1946. They married in 1947, and together raised five children, being together nearly 73 years before Betty’s passing in 2020. Cecil and Betty built three houses in Butte, each one bigger than the one before to accommodate their growing family. In 1958 they relocated to Seattle, Washington, where Cec worked at Boeing. Later he owned two A&R Texaco Stations in the north end. After leaving Texaco, he worked as an auto mechanic in Seattle’s Wedgewood area for several years, and later worked at the Federal GSA Motor Pool. Finally, he owned and managed a small-appliance repair business alongside Betty until his retirement.

Cec had several collections he enjoyed that seemed to fit his personality. He had a huge collection of tools tied to his work as an auto mechanic, as well as from being an avid do-it-yourselfer. He had an amazing collection of belt buckles, which matched his love of wearing western-style clothes. He also enjoyed collecting Texaco memorabilia and Texaco truck banks, along with other diecast cars and trucks.

Cecil and Betty loved traveling, making many trips in their fifth-wheel trailers or motorhomes to the Washington and Oregon coasts, Midwest, and desert Southwest, particularly after retirement. They often took grandchildren along with them on RV trips. They relocated to Port Hadlock, Wash. in 1997, where they purchased a piece of property and Cec (then in his early 70s) built their retirement home. He loved bringing home new plants for their yard, and he became very knowledgeable about plant care. In 2019, Cecil and Betty made their final move to Port Townsend, Wash., where they enjoyed making new friends at the Avamere retirement community.

Cec is survived by sister Joyce Held of Ennis, Mont., and five children: Don Atkinson (Denise), Cindy Starr (Bruce), Terrie Baisch (Roger), Robin Roe (Dave), and Jill Schmidt; 12 grandchildren; and 24 great-grandchildren (with another on the way); as well as extended family. He was preceded in death by his wife Betty; sister Shirley Atkinson; brother Herbert Paul Atkinson; son-in-law Lee Schmidt; and granddaughter Carolyn Roe.

A Celebration of Life will be planned for a future date. Arrangements by Kosec’s Funeral Home in Port Townsend, Wash. (www.kosecfh.com).