Clem William Akins, Jr (Bill) passed away after a lengthy illness on January 15 at the age of 76 years.
Clem was born in Fayetteville (Fort Bragg), N.C. and was raised with 2 brothers and a sister in Alliance, Ohio. He joined the US Army and was stationed in New Mexico, where he met the love of his life, Frances Bristow. He told her mother, on their first date, that he would marry her one day. Less than a year later, they were married and were married for almost 57 years. After 20 years in the Army, he retired in Huntsville, Alabama where he earned a Master of Science Degree in Acquisition Management. He went on to work at several companies, most notably CAS and Teledyne Brown Engineering. Clem and Frances lived in Huntsville for almost 40 years and recently relocated to Fayetteville, Tennessee.
Clem volunteered for many years with the Boy Scouts of America serving in a variety of positions from a Scoutmaster to the District Commissioner. He was a member and an officer in the Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks. He was the President of the Huntsville Miata Club for several years and loved to explore the back country roads with the top down and his hair blowing in the breeze. He was an avid genealogist and had traced the family tree back to the 1600’s.
Clem was preceded in death by his son, Clem William Akins III. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Frances (Bristow) Akins, daughter Janette Rawls (Buddy), son Wyatt Akins (Lisa), grandchildren Logan Akins (Emily , Kara Webb (Nick), Savannah Rawls Holman (Andrew), Cameron Rawls , Sophie Akins and Magnolia Akins. He has 2 great-grandchildren, Lorelei Akins and Thomas Webb. He is also survived by his brothers Stan Akins and Glenn Akins and a sister, Sandy Milidonis.
A Celebration of his Life will be held at Sacred Stone in Fayetteville, Tennessee at 2:00 pm on Saturday, January 19, 2019. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Hospice Service Centers.
