A celebration of the life of Carroll T. Perkins, 95, of Jefferson was held March 27 at Clover Hall on the Greene County Fairgrounds.
Carroll was born September 13, 1926 to Elver Perkins and Anna (Lynch) Perkins in an upstairs bedroom of the Perkins Century Farm southwest of Jefferson. His older sister Bethel helped welcome him into the family which grew to include four more siblings: Edwin, Richard Dean, Teresa Darlene and Jerry. As a young boy, Carroll roamed the farm and countryside with siblings, Meredith Shriver, and other neighbor kids. They went swimming in the creek, sledding in the fields, exploring pastures and timbers – with Carroll frequently riding his pony, Freddy. Life was unstructured and fun with much time spent in the great outdoors.
Carroll grew up during the Great Depression. He often said the family was poor, but he didn’t know it because everybody else was also poor. Saturday nights were spent around the radio listening to the Grand Old Opry. Summer vacations included a family stay in a cabin on Lake Okoboji within a stone’s throw of the Frank Tasler family, and the two families also enjoyed an annual camping trip to the Iowa State Fair.
His mother enriched his life by passing on her love of books and reading, and his father’s example showed him how to be a successful farmer and business man. Carroll loved going into Chicago on the train with his dad when Elver sold cattle.
Carroll attended country school in Jackson Township across from the Perkins Farm, skipped one grade and moved on to high school in Jefferson. He was 15 years old when he graduated from high school in 1942. Having been exposed at a young age to the Windy City, he hatched a plan to run away from home and hitchhike to Chicago, where he immediately found employment in a stationery shop. He roomed with another young man and all was fine until winter set in. His friend said, “Perk, can you think of any reason we shouldn’t be in California?” So the two of them set off hitchhiking to California, where Carroll found employment at Douglas Aircraft building air intake scoops which cooled the engines while in flight.
Carroll joined the Navy while in California, attending basic training in Farragut, ID, pre-flight school at St. Mary’s College in California and Officer Candidate School in San Francisco, CA, receiving his honorable discharge in May, 1946. Carroll used the GI Bill to complete his college education, earning a degree in business administration from the University of Missouri in Columbia, MO. After graduation Carroll returned to the Jefferson area and joined Elver in the family grain and livestock operation. After Elver retired, son David joined his father in the family agriculture business.
Carroll met his future wife, Eileen Claussen, on a blind date in Fort Dodge and he was smitten. They were married on July 20, 1949, at the Catholic Church in Fort Dodge. Carroll and Eileen became the proud parents of five children: David, Daniel, Timothy, Mary Ellen and Jane. Farming; raising their family; school, church, and community activities; fishing trips to Canada and annual winter trips to Mexico were highlights.
Carroll took an interest in local politics, serving as Greene County campaign chair for Tom Harkin when he ran for the U.S. House of Representatives. He was a loyal and active member of the Greene County Democrat Party and was encouraged to run for a seat in the Iowa House of Representatives where he served from 1974 to 1980.
Carroll and Eileen divorced in1980. He began traveling to California and Mexico in the winter months. At the invitation of his son Timothy, Carroll made his first trip to Europe in 1982, and that was the beginning of many more delightful trips to European countries. France, Spain, Portugal, Russia and Estonia were among his favorites. Special winter trips also included some relaxing stays with daughter Mary Ellen and Gary Soreide in the warmth of the Florida Keys. In March, Carroll’s thoughts always returned to Iowa and spring planting. After harvest was completed, it was time to find a warmer climate.
He liked California winters and soon started purchasing property in Riverside County, CA, where he began a new career building and selling homes. A new chapter opened in his life in 1986 when he asked Karen Rush to join him in Riverside. They began purchasing Arts and Crafts furniture, antiquing and attending auctions in their leisure time while continuing their travels in the United States, Mexico and Europe. After his California properties were sold, Carroll and Karen decided they would return to Greene County for a closer connection to family and friends. They were married on Nov. 12, 2007, in the rotunda of the Greene County courthouse.
As usual, Carroll developed new interests in Iowa. The first was Perkins family genealogy and he, Karen and son Dan traveled to Illinois, Nebraska and Wyoming researching the journey of Perkins families from England to Massachusetts to Kentucky and to Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa and Wyoming. The history of Carroll’s ancestry was fascinating to both Dan and Carroll.
The second major new interest was soil conservation and prairie preservation. He took a renewed interest in conserving and preserving his farm ground so he would be leaving the soil in better shape than when he acquired it. He set out to improve the drainage on each farm, to enroll in beneficial farm programs, and to leave a legacy of healthy soil for the next generation.
In the same vein, he and others began to notice that native plants were beginning to reappear on a 30-acre parcel of remnant prairie on the Seven Hills Road. This discovery was exciting. Working diligently with the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation and family members Tim and Jane Healy and Dan Perkins,
this land was designated by the State of Iowa as the Perkins Prairie Preserve in 2009.
Carroll is survived by his wife Karen Voge-Perkins; children David (Melody) of Henryville, IN, Timothy of Paris, France, Mary Ellen Perkins (Gary Soreide) of Panora, and Jane Healy of Jefferson; granddaughter Kelly (Scott) Acob and grandson Chris (Sara) Perkins; stepdaughters Vicki Siegel, Jennifer Rivera, and Penny Scholl; brother Jerry (Carol Ann) Perkins of Riverside, CA, and sister Teresa Darlene Rankel of Chatsworth, CA; sister-in-Law Virginia Perkins of Kansas City, MO; many nieces and nephews, extended family members, and a host of friends. Carroll was predeceased by his wife Eileen, his son Daniel, his son-in-law Tim Healy, brothers Richard Dean Perkins and Edwin Perkins, and sister Bethel Perkins Bouchard.
Interment services will be held at the Jefferson Municipal Cemetery March 28, 2022.
Memorials are suggested to the Jefferson Public Library or the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation/Perkins Prairie Preserve.
Funeral services were arranged by Slininger-Schroeder Funeral Home, Jefferson.
