Ronald J. Atkinson Sr., 85, of Kearneysville, WV, formerly of Norwalk, OH passed away peacefully on March 2, 2021 surrounded by his loving family.  He was born on December 3, 1935 in Cleveland, OH to the late Robert (Sr.) and Octavia (Gigandt) Atkinson.  Ron attended St. Colman's and Thomas Jefferson schools in Cleveland.

After school Ron became a merchant mariner with the United States Coast Guard, working on many of the oar boats at Lake Erie.  He married the love of his life, Dorothy (Walker) Atkinson in 1966 and the two moved to Norwalk, OH.

Ron enjoyed playing golf and home improvement projects.  He worked for many years at Wal-Mart in the automotive department before his retirement in 2006.  He also volunteered with the Salvation Army and was a lifelong member of St. Paul Catholic Church and had attended St. Leo's in Kearneysville, WV most recently.

Survivors include his loving wife, Dorothy; daughters, Dorothy "Dottie" Kennedy of Leander, TX, and Susan (James) Langston of Ft. Worth, TX; sons, Ronald Atkinson Jr. of Jacksonville, NC, Kevin (Lizette) Atkinson of Flower Mound, TX, and David (Leslie) Atkinson of Kearneysville, WV; 9 grandchildren, 2 great grandchildren; brother, Robert Atkinson Jr. of Illinois and the family's former exchange student and good friend, Luiz Lunz of Brazil.

In addition to his parents, Ron was preceded in death by his son Patrick in 2012, brother, Edward also in 2012, and sister, Esther in 2017.

A visitation will be held on Sunday, March 7, 2021 from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. at Walker-Eastman-Heydinger Funeral Home, 98 West Main Street, Norwalk, Ohio 44857. A funeral mass will be held the following day, Monday, March 8, 2021 beginning at 10:30 a.m. at St. Paul Catholic Church, 91 East Main Street, Norwalk, Ohio 44857, with burial to follow in St. Paul Catholic Cemetery.  Visitors are reminded to bring and wear a mask during the visitation and mass and are encouraged to follow all social distancing and mass gathering guidelines. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Adelaide E. Walker Memorial Fund, The Foundation for Firelands, 1111 Haynes Ave., Sandusky, OH 44870-3323. Online condolences may also be expressed by visiting www.walkereastmanheydingerfh.com.