Ex-Heritage winner `Perky' dead at 76

As founder of the Georgetown Referees' Association, Gerald `Perky' Perkins became known as the man people often "loved to hate and hated to love" in local hockey circles for more than 50 years. Perkins, 76, died after a stroke Friday. The longtime official, coach and manager in Georgetown Minor Hockey, Perkins was named the Georgetown Hockey Heritage Award recipient in 1991 for his dedication and contributions to the sport. He served on the Hockey Heritage council and its selection committee and was the senior director of the council. "He was always the first to volunteer for anything that came up," said Hockey Heritage chairman Dave Kentner. Perkins was also well known in the area as a baseball umpire. During the Georgetown international bantam minor hockey tournaments, he would often call on NHL referees such as local native Bryan Lewis to officiate. Acton resident Ron McKnight, confined to a wheelchair after being born with cerebral palsy, recalled his parents being apprehensive of his wish to become a timekeeper at hockey games as a teenager. "Gerry was very supportive of me and it put my parents' minds at ease to know that he was in charge," said McKnight, 57. "Every official usually has a signature call and because Gerry had a cleft palate, he had difficulty pronouncing some words, and over the years many people came to imitate him. You could hear him all over the arena. But he took great pride in what he did and he was very enjoyable to work with." Ward 4 Councillor Bob Inglis eulogized Perkins at Monday's council meeting recognizing his half a century of volunteering. "I don't think there anybody under the age of 55, who played hockey or baseball in this town who didn't have a game refereed or umpired by Mr. Perkins, or Perky as we called him," said Mayor Rick Bonnette. Perkins is survived by wife Betty, six children, eight grandchildren and a great grandchild. The funeral service will be held in the chapel of J.S. Jones Funeral Home, 11 a.m. today (Wednesday).