Joe Akins

Joe Bill Akins was born January 5th, 1934 to Montie and Elsie Akins in Lead Hill, Arkansas. Joe went to rest in eternal peace with his lord the morning of May 13, 2020. He attended school until the 7th grade when he and his brothers set off to train and trade mules and horses for a living. Joe eventually worked his way out west to the Yakima Valley before he even turned 20 years old. In 1954 Joe married his wife Earline. Throughout Joe’s life he was a Ford Motor Co. car salesman, he owned and operated the Sunnyside Salesyard, he drove truck for Holtzinger Fruit Co., he worked at many feedlots riding the horses that he loved, he sold and delivered barrels all over the Northwest. From the time Joe was a kid he was a horse trader at heart and that never left him. Joe loved his family and never met a stranger. Many family trips were taken on horseback to Conrad Meadows.Joe was an avid fisherman and would spend many nights on the banks of a river catching a string of catfish.There were hundreds of camping/fishing trips with his family. He drove many highway miles in either his semi loaded with fruit or his pickup loaded with horses or barrels. Joe loved to tell stories to anyone who would listen. Most of those included an exact mile marker or exit number, a horse sale, a specific quarter horse bloodline or a family member. Joe enjoyed many casinos and bingo halls all up and down the northwest coast, he was always up for a card game or a dice game with anyone that would play. The majority of Joe’s adult life he lived in the Yakima Valley, specifically in Zillah. In 2013 Joe moved to Harlowton, Montana and lived with his oldest granddaughter and her family. In 2016 Joe moved back to Zillah to live with his daughter Kershella and her family. He was always helping take care of grandkids and great grandkids or any extras he thought needed him. In 2018 Joe lost his lower right leg due to complications from his diabetes. He refused to let that lay him down and he learned to adjust in his wheelchair and hospital bed. Joe is survived by his 3 daughters, Trish Barnhart (Ken; of Harlowton, MT), Charlotte Sanders (Lenny; Seattle, WA) , Kershella Smith (Brian; of Zillah, WA), 9 grandchildren and their spouse; 16 great grandchildren, numerous nieces and nephews and anyone else who called him PAPA. Joe was preceded in death by his wife Earline of 66 years, his 2 brothers and 3 sisters and his parents. The family would like to give a special thank you to Blanca Ramirez and Brooke Bounds for their love and care of Joe over the last two years. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Joe Akins, please visit our flower store.