Broadus Dock Atkins

Mr. Broadus Dock Atkins, born August 8, 1939, in Mount Airy, to the late Harley J. and Callie Mae Haymore Atkins, left his family and loved ones on February 8, 2011, to be with his Lord after a prolonged battle with Alzheimer's Disease. Mr. Atkins grew up in White Plains district of Mount Airy as the eldest son of a farming family. He learned well and forever embodied the values of hard work, love for family, and charity towards others. Broadus attended Surry Central High School, where he met his wife of 52 years, Ethel Hiatt Atkins. He completed two years of vocational school in Grace, Idaho, beginning a lifelong fascination with automobiles. Upon returning to Surry County, Mr. Atkins excelled as a mechanic at Snow's Garage before accepting one of the initial faculty positions at Surry Community College in Dobson. Following 30 years of continual service to the North Carolina Community College System, he retired in 1996. He was devoted to and admired by innumerable students, and his interactive, hands-on courses were consistently among the most popular on campus. Broadus had remarkable enthusiasm for everything he endeavored, and his contagious smile and energy brightened each environment he entered. In retirement, he enjoyed gardening and restoring relics of days gone by. Broadus was always a blessing to family, and his gentle advice and simple wisdom will be greatly missed. Broadus is survived by his wife, Ethel Hiatt Atkins; three children, Pepper (Tim) Shelton of Mount Airy, Broadus Zane (Kim) Atkins of Cary, and Lisa A. Atkins of Mount Airy; and eight grandchildren, Dylan Gray, Alyssa Suzanne, Calvin Michael, Olivia Alane, and Carli Rose Venable, all of Mount Airy, and Broadus Nash, George Brantley, and Jackson Zane Atkins, all of Cary. Also surviving are six sisters and five brothers-in-law, Peggy Nichols, Joyce (Arvid) Simmons, Lois (Grant) Christian, Barbara Smith, Kay (Tandy) Pell, Ruth (Jerry) Dollyhigh, and Edward Cundiff "Sonny" Westmoreland; two brothers and sisters-in-law, Gable (Wanda) Atkins and Jerry (Harriet) Atkins. In addition to his parents, Broadus was preceded in death by two daughters, Suzanne and Dolly Atkins; a sister, Polly Westmoreland; and three brothers-in-law, Bobby Eads, Marion Nichols, and George Smith. The funeral service will be held Friday, February 11, 2011, 2:00 PM at Moody Funeral Home Chapel in Mount Airy. The service will be conducted by the Rev. Will Eads and Elder Wilbur Hiatt. Burial will follow in the James Monroe Hiatt Memorial Cemetery. The family will receive friends Thursday from 6:00 until 8:00 PM at Moody Funeral Home. Flowers will be accepted, or memorials may be made to the Alzheimer's Foundation, 3800 Shamrock Drive, Suite 999, Charlotte, NC 28215-3220 or Mountain Valley Hospice and Palliative Care, 401 Technology Lane, Suite 200, Mount Airy, NC 27030.