NORTH CARROLLTON — Donny Perkins always had a ready smile and was someone you could rely on, his friends say.
Mr. Perkins, 69, of North Carrollton, died suddenly Thursday afternoon while visiting with his friend and fellow church member, Bobby Rayburn, in front of Rayburn’s Trading Center in North Carrollton.
Visitation will be from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. tonight at Wilson and Knight Funeral Home in Greenwood. On Saturday, there will be another visitation at 2 p.m. at Carrollton Baptist Church, and funeral services will follow at 3 p.m. at the church.
Mr. Perkins was chairman of the Carroll County Election Commission and a former Carroll Academy headmaster.
After a long career in education, he worked for 20 years as a New York Life insurance agent, from which he had retired. He also did some farming and ranching.
Close friend Alton Turnipseed said Mr. Perkins was “a man of his word. He will be tremendously missed in the community and personally. He was a very good friend. Our families took vacations together for at least 30 years.
“If anyone had a need, he would be the first one there.”
Pete Misskelley, also a close family friend, said Mr. Perkins was “Uncle Donny” to his girls, and the two had many good times together.
“He was a good Christian man. I loved him like my own folks,” he said.
Misskelley said Mr. Perkins loved sports and anything relating to the outdoors, and Misskelley also echoed Turnipseed that Perkins was one to help out in times of need.
“He came to check on us every day when we were sick, and when we lost our grandson, he and Linda were there constantly for days.”
George Johnson, who is chairman of the Carroll County Democratic Party and worked closely with Mr. Perkins, said Mr. Perkins did an exceptional job overseeing the voting rolls. “We really worked hard to see the rolls were correct. He did a lot of training, and we talked about things to look out for in absentee voting and such. It will be a hard thing to get over,” Johnson said.
Mr. Perkins married the former Linda Cooper of Carrollton and the family moved to Carrollton 36 years ago.
He was a deacon at Carrollton Baptist Church for many years. He served as overseer of the Evergreen Cemetery and was on the board of directors for the Carrollton/North Carrollton Tabernacle.
He had worked as a teacher and coach at Burnsville School, North Panola High School, Strider Academy, Pillow Academy and was headmaster at Carroll Academy. He was a graduate of Livingston University and earned a master’s degree at Delta State University. He served in the Army and later in the National Guard.
He leaves his wife, Linda Cooper Perkins; a daughter, Kim DeLoach of Greenwood; two sons, Rick Perkins of Tuscaloosa, Ala., and Benji Perkins of Victor, Idaho; and six grandchildren.
