Cyril 'York' Atkinson, passed peacefully on September 22, 2020 at Age 91. He was the loving husband of Betty 'Pat' for 72 years. Beloved dad of Pam (Chester) Parys, Tim (Tina), Sharon Osmond, and Margaret (Glen) Keely. Cherished grandpa of Nicole, Shawn (Amanda), Jessica (Mike), Chris, Zara, Joelle, Trisha (Jamie), and Megan. Adored great-grandfather of Meadow, Xander, Zoey, Logan, Hope, Hazel, Rory, Emrey, and Estrella.

Dad, Grandpa, Lovey, Sonny, York, Mr. A.  No matter what you called Cyril K. Atkinson, he was a great man.  York was born in Hamtramck, Michigan to English parents, but soon thereafter his family moved to England. It wasn't until age 17 that he returned to Michigan where he was set up on a blind date with a beautiful girl.  Little did he know that she would become his wife and they would spend 72 wonderful years together.  They bought their first house in Inkster in 1948 and being a skilled tradesman, he doubled the size of their home doing all the work himself.  York was very innovative, even designing the first "pop up" trailer out of canvas! He put these skills to good use at the Garden City Presbyterian Church, always lending a hand to fix anything that was broken, participating in youth outings, and church activities.

York found his real passion when he started getting involved in the Boy Scouts.  He loved providing guidance to the scouts, teaching them life skills, and camping in the wilderness.  His motto was "if I can help just one boy, then my time and effort is worth it". There was nothing that made him more proud than watching the boys become Eagle Scouts.  He loved the adventure of scouting which is why he remained a Scoutmaster for over 40 years. All 13 trips to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico hiking through the mountains are proof of his active lifestyle.

The adventure overflowed to his family, where vacations were always mandatory.  He visited every state in the U.S. and traveled extensively through Canada and Europe. He loved traveling with his family, including many trips to Florida, with theme park roller coasters always on the schedule, and celebrating milestone anniversaries in Branson with his wife, kids, grandkids, and great grandkids! Family was one of the highest priorities on his list and staying close was his wish. He looked forward to every Father's Day golf outing and family celebration. York also loved his country, joining the Naval Reserve and proudly wearing his "Retired Navy" cap everywhere he went. York's love for the outdoors was reflected in his lifestyle, which was "work hard", "play hard", and live life with no regrets.

He started working when he was 18 years old for Wayne County as a plumber/pipefitter.  He rode his bike to work and soon picked up the nickname, "the whistling English man" that soon turned into "Yorkie from Yorkshire".  York, soon became the name that everyone called him. He worked for Wayne County for 30 years, until retiring at 48 years old. To celebrate, he and Pat took the trip of a lifetime to Europe for 3 months.  When he returned he needed something to fill his time so he started "Atkinson Plumbing".  Soon, he realized being "self-employed" was too time consuming and left no time for vacations. This is when he found an opportunity to be a plumbing and mechanical inspector for the City of Inkster.  This "part time" job expanded to servicing several other cities for many years. He loved this job, worked in the morning and played golf in the afternoon!  What more could he ask for!  He did this until age 85, when health issues forced him to give it up.

He continued to enjoy his retirement with travel and family.  He repeatedly told his family he had no regrets and loved his life and family! We, his family and friends will sadly miss his laugh, sense of humor, brilliant one liners, love of ice cream, fish and chips, Irish pub songs, greetings ("howdy" and "who says who's there when I say who's there"), great stories, and whistling.  We will always remember his smile, pride, honesty, kindness, morals, values, life lessons, and of course his love.

Visitation, Wednesday, September 30, 2020 2-7pm at the John N. Santeiu & Son Funeral Home, 1139 N. Inkster Road, Garden City (between Ford Road and Cherry Hill). Funeral Service, Thursday, October 1, 2020 in state at 10:30am with funeral service at 11:30am at Garden City Presbyterian Church, 1841 N. Middlebelt Road, Garden City (1 block south of Ford Road).

In lieu of flowers memorials suggested to Garden City Presbyterian Church. (  https://www.gardencitypresbyterian.org/online-giving  )