Patricia Perkins
We lost our mom, Patricia Perkins, Feb. 17, 2018. We’d like to share some of our thoughts about her and her life.
It would be difficult to write a believable story of a life lived any better than the one she lived. She was born September 1941 to Frank and Patricia Pisco of Sound Beach, N.Y., who predeceased her.
To summarize our mom would be difficult also because she meant many things to many people, but it would have to include that she was the heartbeat of our family. She was strong and courageous, but also funny, kind, loving and beautiful. She both guided and followed appropriately. When your chips were down she was special — always loving, never judgemental, and always supportive. She simply made people feel good when they were with her.
Her heart was weakened as a child, but it did not betray her. She took advantage of every medical development that she could. For many years her body and her spirit endured each one and fought successfully to recover each time, always with dignity and class.
She left this world as we all wished for her, and wish for ourselves: peacefully, at home, with her family — a loving husband and best friend of 61 years, her children in their 40s and 50s, her grandchildren from teens to 30s, even her great-grandchildren of 5 and 8, each one with the opportunity to tell her how much she meant to them.
So, yes, we’ll miss her — probably every day. We will hear her laugh when we know she would have laughed because she did that often. We will also miss her just being there and talking with her.
But in the end we know we were fortunate to have had her for as long as we did — when the odds were that we wouldn’t — and we are very grateful for it.
She is survived by her husband, Dave Perkins; her children, David and Melissa Perkins of Roanoke, Va., Rich and Betsy Perkins of Mattituck, and Shari Perkins-Martin of Roanoke; her grandchildren, Lindsay and Daniel Brown, Jessica Perkins, Matthew Perkins, Sara Perkins, Dillon Bragg, Ryan Bragg and Ashley Perkins; her great-grandchildren, Nicholas and Evan Brown; and her three brothers, Nick (Lyria), Bob (Eva), and Frankie, all of Florida.
She had many friends in Virginia and on Long Island, far too many to mention by name but you know who you are and we thank you for loving our mom, too.
Our thanks also to Dr. Craig Mitchell, the Carilion Cardiology department, and UVA for the wonderful care and the miracles you provided us. Mom loved Dr. Frank England (deceased) Dr. Terrence May, Pam Thacker, Denise Jones and so many others. Thanks also to Diane Gunn at Medi Home Hospice.
A memorial service will be held March 8 at Church of the Holy Spirit in Roanoke.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Patricia Perkins’ name to the Make-a-Wish Foundation or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, her favorite charities.
This is a paid notice.
