Mr. James E. Perkins, Jr., 83, died on August 25, 2017 in Wayne. Visiting in the Prout Funeral Home, 370 Bloomfield Avenue, Verona, will be on Tuesday, August 29 from 4 to 8 p.m. A funeral mass will be offered in Our Lady of the Lake Church, Verona, on Wednesday at 10 a.m.
Born and raised in Brooklyn, Mr. Perkins moved to Verona in 2002. He was in the U.S. Air Force from 1951 to 1952 and returned to Brooklyn, where he became a firefighter for the City of New York, working for 41 years and 42 days.
He loved his job and all those he worked with in Brooklyn Engine Company 279, only submitting his resignation on his birthday in 1999 because of Fire Department age limits.
After his move to Verona, he became a crossing guard in front of F.N. Brown School on Grove Avenue from 2002 to 2017.
Mr. Perkins was a member of the Uniformed Firefighters Association, Local 94 in New York City. He was also a devout parishioner for 40 years of St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Brooklyn and for 15 years at Our Lady of the Lake Church in Verona.
Mr. Perkins was predeceased by his beloved wife, Mary Perkins and is survived by his children, Barbara P. Yeates (Andy) and Michael Perkins (Michelle Malone). He is also survived by his grandchildren, Ryan, Christopher, Meghan and Patrick Yeates and Marcela Perkins.
In lieu of flowers, donations to the UFA Widows & Children’s Fund, 204 East 23rd Street, NYC, NY 10010 would be appreciated.
