Returning Home

Mary Alice Atkinson, better known as "Maryls", "Momma", or "Grandma" returned home to her Father in Heaven on April 27th in the early afternoon. She is survived by her adoring husband, Marquis Warren Atkinson, four children, nineteen grandchildren, and 35 great-grandchildren. The last days of her life she was surrounded by all of her family before she quietly slipped away on Monday afternoon. Mary stood at a towering 5'2" with the heart of lion and the sharpest mind ever seen. She had the softest touch to wipe away tears but the strongest hand to stand up for what is right. She was a jack of all trades...if you needed to know how to fix something or had a question about anything really - grandma was the one to call. She knew it all. Grandma taught me everything I know. Most importantly - she taught me the gospel and everything I know about the temple. She instilled in me a great love for the work for the dead and our responsibility to attend the temple often. I was extremely lucky to have her as my escort when I first went through. She was on fire with everything related to the gospel and I'll strive my entire life to be half the woman she was and I'm sure I'll still fall short.

Grandma was my first phone call after every event in my life. If the event went well our conversations were full of congratulations and laughter...if the event did not go well she always knew what to say to cheer me up and make me laugh. I readily admit that I'm a bit of a porcupine sometimes and if I don't want to open up and someone pushes me I'll snap at them...with grandma - she knew exactly how to talk to me, how to calm me down, cheer me up, and most especially put me in my place.

April 18th I ran my first triathlon - she was my first phone call when I finished. It was one of those rare occasions that grandpa wasn't around so the entire conversation was just me and her and we got to talk for a good long time. The conversation ended with her telling me how incredibly proud she was of me for everything I've accomplished and that she loved me. That's the last real conversation I had with her. Wednesday, April 22nd I got a phone call in the morning from my mom telling me that grandma had taken a turn for the worse and she wasn't expected to make it. I immediately hopped in my car and drove to Pahrump. I was by her side almost the entire time before she passed. I carried her into the hospital, I gave her morphine and her other medications every 2 hours, I sat up with her, I told her I loved her a million times and she responded as she could. On Saturday at 5:30 pm I gave her her medication and told her I loved her and she just said a quiet "I love you" and then when i went back 2 hours later to give her medication again she was no longer responsive...she didn't respond again to anyone.

I'll cherish so many moments that I had with her for the rest of my life and I'll continue to try to be as much like her as possible - so that my kids one day will know of the incredible women that blessed my life so much.