Longtime Gilroy resident Ed
“Perk” Perkins, 69, died peacefully at his home on Aug. 22
Longtime Gilroy resident Ed “Perk” Perkins, 69, died peacefully at his home on Aug. 22, 2003, after a short illness.
Ed was born in Anderson and was raised in Chico. After serving as a hospital corpsman in the Navy, he began his career in law enforcement as a Chico Police Officer for four years. After his marriage to Marie, they moved to Gilroy in 1962 where he served as a California Highway Patrol officer. He retired from the CHP after 28 years of service.
Because of his love of theater, Ed became a member of Stagehand’s I.A.T.S.E. Local #134, San Jose, where he worked as a carpenter for many stage productions over the last 15 years. One of his happiest memories included the two years he spent with his wife touring with the national company of “Fiddler on the Roof” in the United States and Canada as its head prop man.
Ed was an Eagle Scout, a Gilroy Boy Scout Master, Rainbow dad and a member of the Gilroy Masonic Lodge. Besides his wife and family, his passions included a love of camping in his motor home, riding his Seadoo at the lake, his dog Buttons and the neighbor’s cat.
Ed was a loving neighbor and well respected in the community.
He is survived by his loving wife of 45 years, Marie Perkins, of Gilroy; daughter Lori Brown “Sis” of Gilroy; son and his wife Robert and Bronwyn Perkins of Chico; grandchildren Matt, Staci, and Kelli Brown, all of Gilroy, and Anna and Kasey Perkins of Chico; his twin sister Bette of Sumner, Wash.; and several nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be 18 p.m. Friday, Aug. 29, the family present from 6-8 p.m. at Habing Family Funeral Home. The service will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at 11 a.m. at the funeral home. Burial will follow at Gavilan Hills Memorial Park.
His family respectfully requests that those who wish to honor Ed’s memory take a loved one to see a theatrical stage production of their choice.
