Sarah Lewis Atkins

Sarah Lewis Atkins

November 17, 1932 - September 24, 2023

Sarah Lewis Atkins passed away on September 24, 2023, at the age of 90. She was born November 17, 1932, to Frank and Florence (Hodges) Lewis, in Boone, North Carolina. She was the oldest of seven. She met Robert Earl Atkins, also from Boone, on one of his trips home from Baltimore. They married in 1956, and she moved with him to Baltimore. They had two sons, Michael (1957) and Rodney (1967). She worked for 35 years at the Health Sciences Library at the University of Maryland at Baltimore. She had been living at Genesis Franklin Woods Long-Term Care Center since a disabling injury in 2016.

Sarah was a devoted member of Tabernacle Baptist Church and served as the Sunday School secretary for 50 years. She was everybody’s confidante, because she was a secret-keeper of the first order. She was beloved for her sly wit but rarely had a bad word to say about anybody. She made true the saying “To know her is to love her.”

She was determined to be self-sufficient and seldom complained about anything, to the point that a family joke was that you could put an air conditioner on her head, and she would say, “That’s fine.” She kept her sense of humor, even when faced with the possibility of having her leg amputated, saying that her main concern was that she didn’t have a parrot. She was fond of crossword puzzles, but allowed herself only five answers at a time before she got back to what she was “supposed to be” doing. She was an avid reader and consumed dozens of books every year, mostly mysteries and thrillers.

Sarah was preceded in death by her parents; three sisters, Juanita Lewis, Clara (Lewis) Taylor, and Mildred (Lewis) Kennedy; one brother, Wade Lewis; several in-laws; and her husband Robert. She is survived by her sons Michael and Rodney, both of Baltimore; two brothers, Paul (Linda) Lewis of Hudson, NC, and Claude (Angelina) Lewis of Boone, NC; and several nieces and nephews.

She will be dearly missed, and her influence will be felt for years to come.

Friends may call at family owned Bruzdzinski Funeral Home P. A. at 1407 Old Eastern Avenue, Essex at route 702 (beltway exit 36) on Wednesday, September 27, 2023, from 2:00 to 4:00 PM and 6:00 to 8:00 PM. Funeral services on Thursday, September 28, 2023, at Tabernacle Baptist Church, 121 Bennett Road, Essex, Maryland 21221, at 11:00 AM. A visitation will be held at church on Thursday from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM. Interment will take place on Saturday, September 30, 2023, at Mount Lawn Memorial Park & Gardens, 521 Old East King Street, Boone, North Carolina 28607 at 11:00 AM.