Janice Marlene Atkinson passed away peacefully on Friday, March 24, after a beautiful life of 80 years. Janice was born on April 6, 1942 to Fred and Olive (Moore) Pound. She is preceded in death by her husband Joe and granddaughter Bronwyn Rose. She will be missed by her loving family including son Brad (Ann) Atkinson, daughter Kara (Farid) Atkinson, grandchildren Derek Rose, Shayley Mackenzie Rose, Frank Atkinson, Annelise Atkinson, and great granddaughter Maddison Blankenship.
She was a devoted wife of 61 years to her lifelong love, Joe Atkinson, since their marriage on September 1, 1960 when Joe was home on leave from the US Army in Germany during the building of the Berlin Wall. Janice loved her community of Bladensburg, Ohio where she resided for over 70 years. She was the first female member of the Bladensburg Volunteer Fire Department and served as the dispatcher, handling 24×7 emergency calls for several years, prior to the advent of the 911 service. She was an expert seamstress, making all items of clothing for family and the community. Growing up with Depression-era parents, she knew the value of self-reliance and had a passion for gardening and canning vegetables for the family (including the best Tomato soup anyone has ever made or consumed). Family enjoyed her delicious cooking, especially her pumpkin, cherry, and banana cream pies. She was very involved in her children’s and grandchildren’s educations, attending PTO meetings with passion. She was even rumored to have ripped out of the school parking lot in a 1967 Mustang GT fastback (both rear wheels smoking) after a heated discussion with a particular long-gone administrator (he didn’t do that again…). She enjoyed community history and wrote a book about Bladensburg’s past, which included the first Bladensburg murder and the many misadventures of Pidge Hess.
She was incapable of doing anything in life with less than full-throated effort.
Her love, energy, loyalty and enduring example of devotion and generosity are gifts she leaves as her legacy to all that knew her. In lieu of flowers, donations in her honor can be made to the Bladensburg Fire Department, PO Box 46, Bladensburg, OH 43005
Calling hours will be Thursday, March 30, 2023 from 5:00 – 7:00pm at the Snyder Funeral Home Lasater Chapel, 11337 Upper Gilchrist Road, Mount Vernon, OH 43050. Funeral Services will be Friday, March 31, 2023 at 11:30am at the Funeral Home. with burial to follow at Bladensburg Cemetery, Bladensburg, OH.
The Snyder Funeral Home ~ Lasater Chapel is handling the arrangements for the family. To share a memory or leave a condolence online please visit http://www.snyderfuneralhomes.com
Funeral home : Snyder Funeral Homes
