James Edwin (Jim) Perkins passed away at his Allatoona Lake home on Friday, October 3, 2014. Born in Columbus, Georgia, on November 10, 1932, Jim was the son of Thomas C. Perkins, Sr., and Mary Hudson Perkins. When Jim was five years old, the family moved to Macon, and he grew up there, graduating in 1950 from Lanier High School. As a youth he led a busy life as a Boy Scout, a newspaper carrier, a member of the track team, and a popular leader in social activities. After high school he enrolled at Georgia Tech, then transferred to Mercer University for several terms, before being drafted into the U.S. Army. Honorably discharged after two years service, he returned to Georgia Tech, where he studied architecture and light construction.
In the 1960s Jim was employed by the Union Camp Corporation (now International Paper Corporation) in Savannah. During this time he bought himself a decaying eighteenth century townhouse, which he renovated, almost singlehandedly. Finding great gratification in such work, he left his job and moved on to restoring other aged buildings in the city. As he developed a great love for old objects and structures, he devoted inordinate time and care to returning them to pristine condition. He was particularly proud of his restorative work on Savannah's historic Pink House restaurant.
As opportunities for meaningful restoration projects began to dwindle, Jim turned increasingly to home construction and repair as a general contractor. Working alone or with a small crew, he became a consummate jack-of-all-trades. His highly developed skills included design, draftsmanship, carpentry, cabinet-making, painting, roofing, plumbing, and electric work. He invested himself deeply in any task he undertook, and the completed project always reflected his conscientious attention to detail. Though most of his career was conducted in Georgia (Savannah, Montezuma, Greater Atlanta), he also worked several years in northern New Jersey and in central Kentucky.
Jim was well-established in Paris, Kentucky, when his father called in the 1990s to say that he and Jim's mother needed him in Cartersville. He returned immediately to the parental home, dedicating himself to meeting their ever-increasing needs—caring for the house, cleaning, preparing meals, taking them to doctor's appointments, driving them wherever they wanted to go, arising in the middle of the night whenever called. Thus he spent more than a decade, until his father's death at age 89, and his mother's death at age 98. The incessant demands weakened his own health; he spent the last three years of his own life fighting the illness to which he eventually succumbed.
Jim is survived by two brothers: Thomas C .Perkins, Jr. of Stone Mountain, Georgia; and Alfred Perkins of Ormond Beach, Florida; and a sister, Jo Ann Respess of Moore, South Carolina. Other survivors include seven nieces and nephews: Patricia Garrison of Terrell, Texas; Thomas C. Perkins III of Athens, Georgia; Herbert Respess IV of Portland, Oregon; Jennifer Respess of Greer, South Carolina; Susan Weston of Danville, Kentucky; Stephen Perkins of Atlanta; Jonathan Perkins of Lawrence, Kansas; and ten great nieces and nephews.
A graveside memorial service will be held at Greenwood Cemetery in Cedartown on Wednesday, October 8, at 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, friends are encouraged to make a contribution to Bartow Area Habitat for Humanity.