She has now celebrated her 107th birthday surrounded by fellow residents at Maiden Castle House in Dorchester.
Although she could not have any family inside the home due to coronavirus restrictions, staff organised for her son Franz to sing her happy birthday from outside her window.
Rachel Sohorye, manager at the home, said: "It got quite emotional when she saw and heard him through the window."
Ms Atkinson was born on January 31, 1914 in Trieste, Italy. The eldest of four siblings, both her parents had passed away by the time she was just 14-years-old and she moved into a children's home run by the Lutheran Church.