Walter Lynn Atkins

September 20 1944 – December 25,2014

It is with love and so much sadness that I announce the sudden passing of my father.

Father to Mandy Smith (Tom), Angela Ackerley. Grandfather to Michael and Madelyn Smith, Fallon Smith and Adam Reiger. Sister to Marjorie Robertson. Predeceased by his parents, Ruth and Walter Atkins, first and second wife, Nancy Foster and Geraldine Barnette and brother in law, Cam Robertson.

Born in Lethbridge Alta, he spent his childhood close to nature. As a teenager, he lived in Toronto and then joined the Company of Young Canadians and in 1966 headed west to Vancouver. He tasted life on a commune and established a family in the Okanagan. He later travelled to Korea to teach. Kidney failure forced him back to Canada in 1993 where he received a kidney transplant and then completed his master’s degree in Education.

His passion was writing. He worked at Vernon Daily News and wrote articles and poetry in outdoor magazines as well as wrote a children’s book Smallfry. Through his own instruction, he became an accomplished naturalist, outdoorsman, geologist and amateur artist.

He had battled with kidney disease since he was 2. With each setback, he rebounded to establish a deeper appreciation for life, nature, literature and art. He was kind and giving.

Funeral will be held in Ottawa on January 7.