Bettina (Tina) Atkins, Ph.D.

August 22, 2020

Bettina (Tina) Atkins, Ph.D. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, private family services will be held for Dr. Bettina (Tina) Atkins, 61, of McAllen, TX. A public visitation will be held Friday the 28th from 4 to 8 pm at Kreidler Funeral Home. Burial will be in Valley Memorial Garden Cemetery at a later date. Services will be held on Saturday at 11 am at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church in McAllen, TX. Kreidler Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements. Tina passed away of a heart attack in Little Rock, AR, on Saturday, August 22, 2020 while returning from a family vacation. Tina was born on July 17, 1959, in Des Moines, IA, the daughter of Irwin and Amabile “Mabel” Atkins. She lived in Madrid, IA, before moving to Des Moines. Her family moved to Bettendorf, IA, prior to moving to South Texas arriving in McAllen in 1971. She graduated from McAllen High School in 1977. Tina went on to Pan American University, TX, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree with Honors in Communication in 1981. While at Pan American University, Tina did a one-woman performance of the Belle of Amherst. She was active in PASS Theater and Theater 3 in Dallas. Tina taught at Our Lady of Sorrows Elementary School and later she taught English at Lamar Middle School in McAllen. In 1993, Tina earned her Masters Degree in Educational Leadership at the University of Texas, Pan American, TX. Tina obtained her Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership from Our Lady of the Lake University, TX, in 2015. Several of her colleagues stated “Leading with a Servant’s Heart” was Tina’s mantra throughout her personal and professional career. With more than 30 years in education, Tina impacted the lives of thousands of students, parents and educators. She advocated for the most underserved and underprivileged individuals in the Rio Grande Valley community by securing millions of dollars in funding during her career. She served as Administrator for the Center for Excellence in College, Career and Life Readiness at Region One Education Service Center. In that capacity, Dr. Atkins led regional college access efforts for deep South Texas, including oversight of three districts, working with Region One ESC GEAR UP partnerships supporting over 25,000 students in 29 school districts, and working with 7 college and university systems. At her core, Dr. Atkins believed that all students have the ability and potential to enter into and succeed in college. Tina was referred to as an Equity Warrior in Education. She was highly respected by her peers and achieved numerous accolades, yet she always remained humble. Tina’s love was for education, but her passion was her family. Tina was a world traveler. She owned a home in Tagliole, Italy (Casa Amabile) with her brother Bob and sister Linda. Every year, she traveled with Bob and his son Vladyk to some exciting destination followed by a couple weeks in her beloved Casa Amabile. Many of her friends also traveled with her to worldly destinations. This summer, Tina was extra excited. She was about to purchase her lifelong dream of owning a lake cabin in the woods with her brother Bob. She spent the last two weeks of her life helping to bring a log cabin in upstate NY back to life. Her dream was for it to be a destination for family and friends. Of all her accomplishments, the most important to her was her role as Zia, sister, and daughter. Her nieces and nephews, brothers and sisters, and her father were her life. Whether it was cooking for family, playing dress-up with her nieces, making plans for travel, or having a happy hour with friends or family, she was the happy coordinator. Since she never had children of her own, her entire family became her focus and was showered with her overflowing love. She was definitely accomplished in her professional life but remained childlike and lit up a room when it came to the joys of life. Her light and joy will be forever missed. Love you to the moon and back Tina… She is survived by her father, Irwin; her siblings, Debbie and Joel Garcia, of McAllen, Bob Atkins, of Austin, TX, Jeff and Berta Atkins, of Gruene, TX, Linda and Craig Blackwell, of McAllen; proudest Zia ever of: Nikki, Jason, Tessa, Vladyk, Katie, Molly, Abby, Kelly, Zoey and Conor. She was preceded in death by her mother, Mabel. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and keeping with social distancing orders, all necessary restrictions will be observed in order to protect the health and safety of those in attendance. Wear face coverings while inside buildings. Continue to practice social distancing while inside the funeral home chapel. Since our father is 90 years of age, if in attendance, please remember to keep social distancing a priority. Additionally, due to limited space at the church, we will be posting a live stream link on social media prior to the service.