Verne A. Perkins
Verne A. Perkins, age 72, of Onaway, died at McLaren Northern Michigan hospital in Petoskey Monday, November 11, 2024. The son of Walter and Doris (Barrett) Perkins, Verne was born in Mount Clemens August 16, 1952, was raised in Cheboygan, and graduated from Cheboygan High School in the class of 1970. Not long after high school, he met Joan McDonald from Onaway. They married July 1, 1972, and made their home at the Shoepac Club where they were caretakers of the property for several years.
A longtime employee of Onaway Area Schools, Verne started his career working as a bus driver. He went on to become a full-time custodian and eventually retired in 2003 from his position as grounds and maintenance supervisor. After 30 years at the school, Verne took a “retirement job” with the city of Onaway department of public works where he worked for nine more years. He enjoyed his work both at the school and with the city but enjoyed the people he worked with even more. With all the time he spent at Onaway Area Schools and then working in town, Verne was a familiar face and well-known in the community. He was a great guy with a friendly smile and always took time to chat with everyone.
Verne lived life to the fullest with many hobbies that he enjoyed with family, friends and co-workers. He loved riding motorcycles and was a member of the 45th Parallel Harley Bike Club. Back in the day, he and buddies, Joe Evans and John Krage, took a motorcycle trip each summer with visits to the Rocky Mountains, The Badlands and the East Coast. Verne loved a good road trip, whether it was for an afternoon of driving back roads and two-tracks with Joan or taking his Harley for a ride with friends. He knew the trails like the back of his hand after exploring the woods on snowmobile and four-wheelers. With his adventurous spirit, he knew his way around northern Michigan and was always in search of a road he had never driven.
An avid outdoorsman, Verne was a hunter, fisherman and camper. He belonged to the Black Mountain Hunting Club for many years and loved fishing with his family. Some of his favorite winter days were spent on the frozen lakes of northern Michigan with his son, watching tip-ups, jigging and having cookouts on the ice. Verne and Joan took their family camping at many of the local campgrounds with Mud Lake and the “Tubes” in the Pigeon River Forest being a couple of their favorite places. They traveled to the Upper Peninsula for camping and fishing, spent many beautiful summer days on their Liberator boat, and visited Branson, Missouri to enjoy musical shows. Quite handy, Verne enjoyed yard work and projects at home, including the greenhouse he built for Joan. He was an avid reader and loved going out for dinner.
Above all, Verne cherished quality time with his family. His devotion as a husband, father, grandfather, brother, son, and friend was seen in everything he did. He taught the importance of hard work, dedication to family and generosity to others. He was always lending a hand or doing a favor to help someone. With his friendly disposition, Verne was well-liked and seemed to know everyone. He touche
Surviving Verne is his wife of 52 years, Joan Perkins of Onaway; a son, Eric (Kanisha) Perkins of Onaway; a daughter, Sandra (Troy) Zeigler of Little Torch Key, Florida; grandchildren, Morgan, Odin and Rueger; as well as his sisters, Sharon Perkins of Millersburg, Marion(Dave) Sines of Guffey, Colorado and Peggy (Tom) Hunt of Sevierville, Tennessee; and brothers, Ray (Vickie) Perkins of Ozark, Missouri and Roy ((Debbie) Perkins of Pleasant Hope, Missouri. Verne was preceded in death by his parents; and his in-laws, Duke and Lily McDonald.
Verne will be honored by his family privately. Those planning an expression of sympathy please consider a donation in memory of Verne to the Cheboygan County Humane Society.
