Nicholas Francis Atencio, 86, of Oxford, passed away Wednesday, September 29, 2021, at The Blake at Oxford- Oxford, MS.

Visitation will be Friday, October 8, 2021, from 10:00 AM-
11:00 AM at Calvary Baptist Church Columbus, MS. A
funeral service will follow at 11:00 AM with Chaplain Fletcher Moorman officiating and Smoky Bailey assisting. Interment will be in Memorial Gardens with Lowndes Funeral Home, Columbus, MS directing.

Mr. Atencio was born December 5, 1934, in Alamosa, CO to the late Mary Ortega Atencio and Jasper Atencio. He served in the United States Air Force for 22 years and retired as a TSGT. Mr. Antencio was an avid Denver Broncos fan and a Mississippi State fan. He coached girls softball in Columbus, MS for many years, he enjoyed fishing, gardening, and loved his family and vacationing.

Mr. Atencio is survived by his daughters, Lisa (Dennis) King, Debra (Brent) Looper, Yvonne Comar, Kathy (Lee “Smoky”) Bailey, Cindy (Bo) Whittington and Nichole Hughes; sons, Micky (Tina) Nguyen and Doug Shumway; 24 grandchildren; 16 great-grandchildren; and brothers, Gilbert Atencio, Eloy Atencio and Urban (Bernadette) Atencio.

Pallbearers will be Jamie Atencio, Jason Comar, Daniel Bailey, Curt Whittington, Ryan King, Jonathan Gqathney and Phillip Nguyen.

Honorary pallbearers will be Nick Whittington, Sean King, Dennis King, Jordan Gwathney and Joseph Gwatheny.

Memorials may be made to National Down Syndrome Society ndss.org.