W. H. Perkins

W. H. "Perk" Perkins, age 93, of Hot Springs Village, Ark. formerly of Beardstown and Quincy, Ill., passed away peacefully at Saline Memorial Hospital on July 4, 2010. He had recently resided in an assisted living center until he fractured his hip in mid-September and subsequently suffered a stroke. Mr. Perkins was born on Oct. 27, 1916, to G. Riley Perkins and Claudia L. (nee Simmons) Perkins in Beardstown, Ill. He was preceded in death by his wife Evelyn (nee Blaesing) Perkins; his parents and his two brothers Charles (formerly of Winter Haven, Fla., and Macomb, Ill.) and William (formerly of Galesburg, Ill.). He is survived by his four sons: Richard (Joan) of Hot Springs Village, Ark.; Ronald (Toni) of Modesto, Calif.; Kim (Jenny) of Lombard, Ill.; Kevin (Kimberly) of Lake in the Hills, Ill.; 11 grandchildren and one great-granddaughter. Mr. Perkins worked more than 30 years for the Burlington Northern/ C B & Q Railroad before his retirement in 1977. He began his career as a telegrapher and ended it as a manager/wire chief. His work colleagues will remember him for his sense of humor and the bottomless coffee pot he shared with them. Educated in a one-room school house in Greenbush, Ill., Mr. Perkins graduated from Beardstown (Illinois) High School in 1933. He worked as a Western Union telegrapher in Quincy, Ill., where he met his wife of 62 years. During W.W. II, Mr. Perkins served as a telegrapher for the Army Air Corps in Karachi and was credited with being the first telegrapher in the Pacific theatre to relay the V-J (Victory over Japan) peace message. A private memorial service is planned in July in Lombard, Ill., at Sacred Heart Church. Online guest book at www.ashbyfuneralhome.com.