AKIN, Paul C. 1908-1992

AKIN, SWANSON

Posted By: Tammy (email)
Date: 1/19/2016 at 11:08:34

Paul Akin Services Held

Born on May 30, 1908 on the Akin farm in Grundy Center, Paul Cooper Akin died on May 26, the birthday of his deceased mother Anna Wilhelmina (Swanson) Akin. His death ended a two year struggle with cancer.

Mr. Akin grew up in Grundy Center and attended Iowa State Teacher's College in Cedar Falls (now the University of Northern Iowa). He went on to law school at Northwestern in Evanston, Illinois just north of Chicago, supporting himself by working as a night watchman at the Oscar Mayer meat packing plant.

After graduating in 1932, Mr. Akin started a career in the government with the Reconstruction Finance Corporation. When the US entered World War II, he joined the Navy rising to the rank of Lt. Commander. Just when the gunnery crew which he had been assigned to lead completed its training, he was transferred to Monterey, California and was finally stationed in Tokyo with the Occupation Forces department attached to the Finance Ministry of the new Japanese government. At a USO dance in Tokyo one night, he was startled to discover himself dancing next to a fellow Grundy Center resident, in fact the creamery-truck driver who has picked up the milk from the Akin farm.

After the war Mr. Akin returned to the civil service first in Washington D.C. and then in Los Angeles, retiring as regional manager of the Federal National Mortgage Association in 1965.

In addition to his brother Jack Akin of Decatur, Illinois and sister Carol Albert of Fort Collins, Colorado, he is survived by his wife Ruth in Sun City, Arizona and three children, Ethan Akin of Cross River, NY, Sheri Hiler of Sunland, CA and Diane Decker of Glendale, AZ, as well as by five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

--The Grundy Register (Grundy Center, Iowa), 4 June 1992, pg 3