James Franklin Atkinson

Mr. James Franklin Atkinson, 89, passed away on Saturday, July 11, 2026, at the Suwannee Valley Care Center (Haven Hospice) following an extended illness. He is the son of the late Clifford and Leanne Simmons Atkinson. He is preceded in death by one daughter, Pamela Atkinson. He made Lake City his home for the past fifty-one years after moving here from Fort Knox, Kentucky. He served his country in the United States Army for twenty-one years as a tank commander and retired at the rank of MSG. He worked at McDuffie’s Sporting Goods for twenty years as a gunsmith. He enjoyed collecting guns and gunsmithing, turkey hunting, bowling, and fishing. He was a Harley-Davidson enthusiast and an Avid “Georgia Bulldog Fan,” and he never met a stranger.

He is survived by his wife of sixty-nine years, Mary Jane Atkinson, Lake City, FL; his daughters Cynthia Witt (Hojo), Lake City, FL; Gwendolyn K. Rhodes (Johnny), Lake City, FL; Lawanda Earls, Lake City, FL; Shawn Davison (Steve), Lake City, FL; eight grandchildren and twelve great-grandchildren.

Funeral services for Mr. James Franklin Atkinson will be conducted on Friday, July 17, 2026, at 11:00 AM at Gateway-Forest Lawn Funeral Home Chapel in Lake City, FL. Visitation with the family will be held one hour prior to the service at Gateway-Forest Lawn Funeral Home. Interment with Military Honors will follow the service at Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens Cemetery. Arrangements are under the direction of GATEWAY-FOREST LAWN FUNERAL HOME, 3596 S US Hwy 441, Lake City, FL 32025. Please leave words of comfort for the family at www.gatewayforestlawn.com.