Ronald Raymond Atkins, of Salt Point, N.Y., died Sept. 1, 2024. He was 91.
Born March 8, 1933, in Kingston, he was married 68 years to Mary-Elizabeth (Betsy). He was predeceased by his parents, A. Raymond and Charlotte S. Atkins.
Atkins dedicated his legal career to specializing in trust and estate law, corporate taxation, and art law.
He earned a Bachelor of Science in economics from the University of Pennsylvania in 1954, served as a first lieutenant in the Army for two years, and went on to earn a Juris Doctor from Columbia University in 1959. He practiced law at Gwinn & Pell until 1967, when he became a partner in Bisset & Atkins until he retired.
His family said Atkins was a philanthropist, nature lover, bibliophile, and art historian. He and his wife lived in Bedford for 54 years in a historic home across from the Mianus River Gorge. Atkins served as board chairman to the Gorge for 10 years. In 2016, he and his wife moved to his wife’s family dairy farm in Salt Point, N.Y.
Atkins is survived by his wife; his three children, Peter (Mary Ann), Timothy (Jeanne- Marie) and Suzanne; three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
A service will be held Saturday, Sept. 28, at 12:30 p.m., at Saint Matthew's Church, located at 382 Cantitoe St., Bedford.
Memorial donations may be made in Atkins’ honor to the Mianus River Gorge at mianus.org.