Mark Allen Perkins

Mark Allen Perkins, 66, of Des Moines, passed peacefully from this world on Monday, December 30, 2019 at the Kavanagh House/EveryStep Hospice. A visitation will be held Saturday, January 11, from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m. at the First United Presbyterian Church in Winterset, with a funeral service beginning at 10:30 a.m. Burial will be in the Winterset Cemetery immediately following. The church will host a luncheon for all family and friends. Memorial contributions honoring Mark’s love of nature and the Iowa countryside may be directed to the Iowa Wildlife Fund, the Iowa Sierra Club or the Iowa Natural Heritage Fund. Mark Perkins, son of J. Wilmont (Bill) and Jean Maxine Tucker Perkins, was born November 4, 1953 in Winterset, Iowa. He grew up in Des Moines, attending Kirkwood Grade School, Washington Irving Junior High School and then North High School, graduating in the Class of 1972. Mark lettered in football, basketball and track & field at North and maintained lifelong friendships with several classmates. Most of his working years were spent doing various construction related jobs in the Des Moines area. He also lived for most of the 1980’s in Branson, MO, working for his entrepreneurial uncle, Blaine Tucker. Mark had a winning personality and readily formed friendships with colleagues and customers. Mark grew up as an active member of Crestwood Baptist Church in Des Moines. He loved nature; fishing at the lake, hiking in the woods or running with his dog in the park. His favorite moments were with family, whether in Des Moines, Winterset, Missouri, Colorado, Oregon or Kentucky. He was especially devoted to nephew, David and niece, Genevieve and delighted them for hours with games, jokes and sports activities. He enjoyed gardening and slow grilling delicious meals for family. He loved music and was a regular at Hoyt Sherman concerts. He was a loyal fan of the Chicago Cubs, both the Iowa State Cyclone and Iowa Hawkeye football and basketball teams and always a follower of sports at dear old North High. Mark’s unique qualities were most evident when providing meticulously tender end of life care to his father, his mother and to his Uncle Blaine. Mark is survived by his brother, Stephen Perkins (Kathy) of Louisville, KY, and their adult children, David (Sara) Perkins, their son, Jack of Louisville, and Genevieve Perkins of Flagstaff, AZ, along with many wonderful cousins and two maternal aunts by marriage and one fraternal uncle. He was preceded in death by his parents, grandparents, many aunts and uncles and four dear cousins.