Richard Dale Atkins passed away peacefully at home in Spicewood, Texas, on April 4, 2024, at the age of 70, due to brain cancer. Richard was born July 28, 1953, to Burton Edwin Atkins and Dorothy Sue Meriwether Atkins Loyd in Fort Stockton, Texas. His family moved to Austin in 1967, where he resided for most of his adult life.

Richard attended A.N. McCallum High School (Class of 1971) and played clarinet in the marching and concert bands, where he met his future wife, Pam. He graduated from the University of Texas in 1975 with a degree in electrical engineering and became a Texas Licensed Professional Petroleum Engineer in 1981. Following graduation, Richard worked at Exxon for several years before founding Mariah Energy Corporation in 1982. With the collapse of the oil market, Richard transitioned to working as a Project Manager for Dell, Inc. before returning to the oil industry as a Technical Hearings Examiner at the Texas Railroad Commission. In 2015, he settled into semi-retirement as a Petroleum Engineer Consultant while overseeing his family’s mineral interests.

Richard always enjoyed the outdoors and staying active. As a boy, he achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. He became an avid cyclist for many years and loved the friendly competition of golf and playing handball. He and Pam spent many relaxing hours on Lake Travis sailing and jet skiing together. They also frequently enjoyed Port Aransas fishing trips, vacations in Hawaii, Florida, California, and Colorado, and taking various cruises.

Richard will be remembered for his optimistic and upbeat outlook on life. He was no stranger to difficult times, yet always maintained a cheerful disposition. He was an engineer to the core — gathering information, analyzing the data, reaching the best practical conclusion, and then moving forward, confident of his decision.

Richard is survived by his wife, Pam Bornemann Atkins; stepsons, Eric Schroeder (wife Merrick) and Adam Schroeder; sister, Gail Atkins; close nieces, nephews, cousins, in-laws and friends as well as their families.

A Celebration of Life will be held on May 16 at 10 a.m. at Weed-Corley-Fish, 411 Ranch Road 620 S. in Lakeway, Texas, 78734. Remembrance gifts can be directed toward Dell Seton Medical Center at UT or Dell Seton Neurosciences via the Ascension Seton Foundation, Hospice Austin, or Gethsemane Lutheran Church, 200 W. Anderson Lane, Austin, Texas, 78752.