Chris Lincoln

Chris Lincoln Born in Detroit at Lincoln Hospital, little did Clara Christine Atkinson know she’d be marrying a Lincoln; or maybe it was just destiny? A quiet, reserved personality in public but when she was with her close friends, she was out there having a good time with everyone. She grew up in Temple Baptist church and strengthened her faith from her beloved Sunday school teachers. She also looked forward to the summertime when over one thousand kids would get together for Church Camp at Camp Chautauqua in Carlisle Ohio right on the Great Miami River. I understand that she created a bit of mischief while there with her friends. Being a good christian girl, she was told to stay away from those public school boys. She attended South Redford Public Schools and when she got to high school at Lee M. Thurston and 11th grade American Government class, she picked a desk in the front row left where she was unlikely to be noticed, but she didn’t escape the view of her next suitor, Craig Lincoln. Craig was a teachers pet and when he became bored with sitting next to his buddy Ron Spangler, he thought he’d try something interesting. After class that day he went up to the teacher, Mr. Moore, and asked if he could put together a new seating chart and put him at the same table as Chris was. The next day, to his surprise, when walking into class, Mr. Moore announced ‘Class, we have a new seating chart!’ And he put Chris and Craig together at the same table! Chris new that Craig was a public school kid and did her best to avoid him but alas, Craig’s persistence won out - after 6 months of trying to ask her on a date, she finally gave in and agreed to go to a basketball game. Craig arrived in his shiny new 1970 red Plymouth Duster and gallantly escorted her to her door, opened it for her and closed it carefully so it wouldn’t rattle too much. The Duster had a front bench seat and to his surprise when he hopped in, Chris had scooted over to the center so she could sit right next to him. That evening turned out to be the start of a wonderful relationship. Chris and Craig went steady up through high school graduation and then broke up for one year while Craig sowed his wild oats! One day Craig got to thinking about Chris and thought he’d try giving her a call. She answered the phone and began talking like nothing had happened until she asked - “Wait a minute, who is this?” Craig responded "Craig Lincoln, why, who did you think it was? to which she said “I’m dating another guy named Craig!” Then after talking a bit more, Chris spoke up and said “Did you realize it has been exactly a year to the day since we broke up?” And Craig said something like “Well I guess we’re just meant to be together.” They dated for 6 months, got engaged and set the wedding date for May 24, 1974. For their honeymoon they chose to visit Florida - Craig had been there many times on the family easter break vacations and Chris had never been so it was perfect. They were only 20 years old at their marriage so this meant they couldn’t rent a car so they decided to drive to Florida and back. They had a lot of fun on that trip making a big circle around the state - Disney World, Bush Gardens, Circus World, Weekie Watchie, The Everglades, Miami Beach, West Palm Beach, Cape Kennedy & Fort Lauderdale. College was next and they moved into married housing at Central Michigan University. Their little two bedroom apartment was just right for their first home and to this day they often would remark that those two years were the best of their married life! One of the highlights of their time on campus was attending a George Carlin concert where his opening act was an up and coming artist - Linda Rondstat. Campus life was great and Craig graduated with his Bachelor’s Degree in 1976. Craig’s first job was with the Kroger company where he was targeting a position in their logistics department in Livonia. They didn’t have any immediate openings but promised that a lateral move would be his if he would start in a management position at one of their warehouses so they moved to Grand Rapids. Unfortunately, it didn’t take too long for Craig to realize that he was going to lose his mind at this position so a month later he asked Chris if they could move to Elk Rapids. This meant winterizing a summer cabin on Torch Lake and they lived there for 3 years before Craig moved them again, this time back home to Detroit. Craig’s family welcomed Chris with open arms, especially his mother. She was a saint, having managed a household full of men. There were 3 boys, the husband, and even the dog was a male! When Chris came along her mother-in-law Finally had a friend to do things with and they went crazy going to Doll Conventions, hosting Teddy Bear Shows for the local charities and sharing recipes from one great cook to another! Craig’s mom loved Chris a lot and it was very hard on Chris when her mother-in-law passed. After 6 months of renting an apartment in Farmington Hills, they found their first real house in Southfield. Chris made this home a showplace and they lived there for 13 years. In 1982 their son David came along and Chris and Craig became parents. What a wonderful experience! When David was ready for school, it was decided that Novi was the best for them so they moved again, this time building a new house. This presented another opportunity for Chris’s interior decorator skills to shine, and shine she did! Chris and Craig got to travel overseas to London where they took the high speed train through the Chunnel to Paris and joined a fast paced 10 day bus tour from London up to Scotland, crossing over to Northern and then Southern Ireland, crossing back to Wales including Stonehenge, and then back to London. What a trip. Craig took 2,000 pictures. Other memorable trips were cruises to the Caribbean and Alaska and a 6 week stint in Sedona Arizona to help Craig’s cousin Becca recover from a serious illness. David met Logan Weathers, got married and produced 2 wonderful granddaughters for Chris and Craig to fawn over. Logan’s family was great, welcoming Chris and Craig with open arms and they felt right at home with each other. The old saying is true - there’s nothing like being a grandparent. Chris got to babysit Avie Mae for most of her infant years and considered herself blessed with that opportunity. Delaney wasn’t as fortunate because Chris’s illnesses started to interfere with babysitting but they couldn’t be more proud of those two sweet babies. In the earlier years when Chris was healthy, she enjoyed entertaining and they hosted many holiday parties at their house. She was a great cook and everyone looked forward to coming to their house for a party. Born at Lincoln Hospital, became a Lincoln by marriage, and the source of so much love and joy to all who knew her. A terrible shock that she passed so young, she will be missed. June 24, 1953 – May 16, 2021 Beloved wife of Craig Lincoln Loving mother of David (Logan Weathers) Lincoln Cherished grandmother to Avie Mae Lincoln and Delaney Rose Lincoln Dear daughter of the late Wally and Ida Atkinson Sweet sister of Kathy (the late James) Murdoch, John (Joyce) Atkinson, the late Kenneth Atkinson Proud aunt of Kara, Scott, Becky and Mellisa Visitation for Chris will be on Friday May 21, 2021 starting at 10:00 AM until time of service at 12:00 Noon In lieu of flowers the family asks that memorial donations be made to the Michigan Parkinson’s Foundation

Chris Lincoln

June 24, 1953 - May 16, 2021