Russell Edmund Atkinson

Russell Edmund Atkinson, 72, of New Bern, North Carolina, passed away at his home on December 4, 2025.

Born in Cambridgeshire, England, Russell spent his early years moving with his military family to locations including Okinawa, before they were last stationed at Langley Air Force Base in Hampton, VA. He attended Kecoughtan High School and VoTech, where he developed the automotive skills that would form his lifelong career.

In the early 1980s, Russell moved to Eastern North Carolina and settled in the New Bern area, remaining a resident for over 30 years. He was known for his mechanical expertise and operated several automotive businesses throughout the year.

Russell pursued an adventurous lifestyle. He was an avid water enthusiast from a young age, navigating the Hampton waterways and owning his first boat as a teenager. His pursuits included motorcycle riding, local auto racing, working aboard scallop and fishing boats, obtaining a private pilot's license, and ferrying boats along the East Coast.

Russell was preceded in death by parents, Lawrence E. Atkinson and Shirley Marlene Pere, and his wife, Christine Hope Goodman.

He is survived by his children: Marlene Darragh and her husband Sean, of Freeport, Florida; Michael D. Atkinson and his wife Amber of Greenville, North Carolina; two step-children, Keith R. Haight, Jr. (and family) of Winterville, NC, and Kelly H. Haight (and family) of Swansboro, NC; and nine grandchildren. He also leaves behind a special aunt, Carole Pere Brown of Colonial Heights, VA.

Condolences and life tributes may be sent to the family at www.justcremations.net.

Arrangements by Just Cremations, Morehead City, NC.