Norma Perkins

Norma Eleanor (Blood) Perkins, 89, of Cerro Gordo, died on Thursday evening, December 29, 2011, in her home. A graveside service will take place at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, January 3, 2012, at the Cerro Gordo Township Cemetery, with a private family viewing beforehand at the Brintlinger & Earl Funeral Home in Cerro Gordo. Father John Burnette, pastor of Saints James & Patrick Catholic Church in Decatur, will preside. Brintlinger & Earl Funeral Home of Cerro Gordo is handling the arrangements. Norma Eleanor Blood was born in Decatur, Illinois, on April 19, 1922, the daughter of Russell and Cora (Ritchie) Blood. She grew up on her family's farm north of Cerro Gordo, attending a one-room country schoolhouse and later graduating from Cerro Gordo High School in 1940. Norma was then employed for a short time at A. E. Staley as a stenographer. She traveled to Littleton, Massachusetts, to wed John Erwin Perkins of Cerro Gordo on January 7, 1943, who was stationed at nearby Fort Devens early in World War II. Norma returned to Cerro Gordo and awaited her husband's return from the European Theatre. Following his return, she worked as a homemaker and mother while her husband worked on her family's farm. In the early 1970s, once her children were grown, she again worked outside the home, this time as a secretary at the Shackelford Clinic in Cerro Gordo. Norma was a loving mother to two children, and when grandchildren arrived, Norma welcomed them into her home before and after school each day, providing much love and nurturing care that continued to the present day. Norma was a lifelong supporter of the arts and education. She was a wonderful cook and also loved animals, caring for several dogs and cats throughout her life. She was affiliated with Saint Michael's Catholic Church in Bement. She is survived by her two children: N. Kathleen Perkins of Cerro Gordo and Robert E. Perkins and wife Challis, also of Cerro Gordo; two grandsons, Brett J. Perkins and R. Christopher Perkins, both of South Bend, Indiana; and one nephew, Gary L. Blood and wife Judy of Dunlap, Illinois. She was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, and her brother, Robert Heyl Blood. She will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved her. Memorials may be made to the Cerro Gordo Ambulance Service or to the Macon County Humane Society. "
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