Ellis Floyd Akins

Ellis Akins, age 84, of Mary Esther, Florida, passed away on April 1, 2024. Born on February 1,1940 in Brentwood, New Hampshire, Ellis was the second of seven children to parents Floyd and Claire (Champagne) Akins. 

Ellis grew up in the farming communities of New England and during his formative years lived on a 19-acre farm on the outskirts of Manchester, New Hampshire. At the age of 17, Ellis enlisted in the United States Air Force. It was there he met his future wife, Alicia Figueroa, at Keesler Air Force Base. Ellis served proudly in the Air Force which included a tour in Vietnam, and assignments to Africa and Iceland until his military retirement in 1980.

Retirement did not slow Ellis down as he started a business, Superior Design Products, with his brother, George, and Kevin Forsyth. After 25 successful years, the business was sold and he and Alicia retired to Mary Esther, FL where he built his dream house on the water to be closer to their children and grandchildren.

Ellis had the quickest wit in any room and enjoyed life to the fullest. He traveled the world and if he wasn’t on a ski trip, bike trip, or hiking Machu Picchu, he was home working on projects and savoring time with his family and friends that meant so much to him. 

Ellis is predeceased by his parents and brothers Daniel Akins, George Akins, and William Akins. Ellis is survived by his wife, Alicia Akins, his sisters Carmen Cardoza, Linda Dudley, and Ellen Johnston, and his son George Ellis Akins and wife Amy Taylor Akins, his daughter Serena Akins Armstrong and husband Brian Armstrong, and Ellis’s grandchildren Kenneth Akins, Corrine Akins, Cole Armstrong, and Reese Armstrong. Ellis was so proud of his children and his grandchildren. 

A funeral service will be conducted on April 21, 2024, at 1:30 PM with a Rosary preceding at 1:00 PM at the Emerald Coast Funeral Home. This will be followed by a Celebration of Life at Ellis and Alicia’s home from 3:00 to 5:00 PM. For those unable to attend in person services will be live-streamed

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in memory of Ellis to Fight CRC (Colorectal Cancer), Pensacola Veterans Affairs, Saint Peter Catholic Church in Mary Esther, or Saint Mary Catholic School in Fort Walton Beach.

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