George Calvin Atkins, 82, of 7718 Lakeview Street, died Monday. He was a retired Colonel in the United States Army and a member of Cedar Falls Baptist Church. He is survived by his wife Betty Ann Atkins; his children Robert Atkins, Dr. Kevin Atkins, Elizabeth Rodriguez, and Timothy Atkins; and his grandchildren Will Atkins, Henry Atkins, Lily Atkins, Paul Rodriguez, Alexander Rodriguez, Benson Rodriguez, Mackenzie Rodriguez, Vivian Atkins, and Eliza Atkins.

A visitation will take place at Jernigan-Warren Funeral Home from 6 to 8 pm on Friday. The funeral will be held at Cedar Falls Baptist Church at 10:30 am on Saturday. The graveside service will be at Brier Creek Memorial Gardens, in Raleigh, NC, at 2:00 pm of the same day.

Born in Apex, NC, Cal graduated from North Carolina State University and received his commission as a second lieutenant in 1960, the same year that he and Betty Ann married. He served in Vietnam and several other posts, both in the United States and overseas. He earned the Legion of Merit with one oak leaf cluster, the Bronze Star, and several other medals for meritorious achievement. He earned a Master of Science Degree from George Washington University, and graduated from the US Army's Command and General Staff College and the US Army War College. He commanded the 82nd Signal Corps Battalion at Ft. Bragg and retired with 30 years of service.

In his retirement he enjoyed his family, travel, and horticulture, while helping Betty Ann run Atkins Tax Services in Fayetteville for several years. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to Cedar Falls Baptist Church or a charity of your choice.