FROM PAGE ONE
A12 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 10, 2022
City of Hermiston/Contributed Photo, File
John Perkins as Santa with children at the Hermiston Family Aquatic Center pool in July 2021.
Perkins
Continued from A1
100 degrees.
He said he was cooler in his
Santa suit than without it.”
John Richard Perkins was
born Sept. 25, 1951, in Pend-
leton. He died from pancre-
atic cancer July 27, 2022, at his
home in Umatilla.
He grew up with an absent
father and an abusive brother,
he said in a 2021 interview, and
his family suffered poverty. He
explained, when he turned 14,
his mother no longer qualified
for government assistance.
Perkins quit school in the
10th grade to support his
mother. He accepted agricul-
tural work, then he was a truck
driver. He joined the U.S. Navy
in 1970, serving three tours in
Vietnam on USS Midway before
his honorable discharge in 1976.
His service was difficult, he
said, as exposure to Agent Or-
ange in the Vietnam War even-
tually caused him to lose feeling
in his legs. His service also left
him with post-traumatic stress
disorder, which continued to
affect him. Still, he described
himself as a happy, optimistic
person who tried to share his
positivity with others.
He wed Jeanne R. Otis at
Pendleton in 1970. He credited
his wife with encouraging his
pleasant outlook. From the be-
ginning of their relationship,
he said, she was a steadying in-
fluence.
Perkins worked as an electri-
cian for Union Pacific Railroad
at Hinkle from 1976 to 1986,
then as an electrical supervi-
sor for Ash Grove Cement in
Durkee. He retired in 1998,
Burns Mortuary of Hermiston
reported.
Perkins served as mayor of
Stanfield from 1980 to 1984 and
as Local International Broth-
erhood of Electrical Workers
No. 112 president from 1984 to
1986. A member of The Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, he described himself as
a religious man who believed in
community. He also worked as
a volunteer firefighter and was
active in Milton Lodge No. 96
of the Masons and Shriners and
rode motorcycle escort in the
Oregon Food Bank’s caravan.
He was a member of Oregon
Motorcycle Riders Association
and the Veterans and Friends of
Oregon motorcycle clubs, orga-
nizing poker runs and raising
money for Shriners Hospital.
Perkins loved riding motorcy-
cles, camping, fishing, crabbing,
boating and photography.
He obtained his high school
diploma and walked in cap and
gown with the Hermiston High
School Class of 2010, he said.
He served as Santa for 13
years, 2008-21, throughout
Umatilla County, the Tri-Cities
and Walla Walla.
Perkins picked up the man-
tle of Santa to honor his father-
in-law, Roy Otis, who had been
Santa but died. His wife, Jeanne
Perkins, made him the costume
he still wore. It is a suit made
with love, he said.
Other trademarks of the role
were his prior to becoming
Santa. The white hairs, he said,
started coming in while he was
a high school student, and the
beard was fully flushed out be-
fore he ever put on the Santa
outfit.
Playing Santa through the
years, he has toured the re-
gion, appearing in and around
Hermiston, even going to Walla
Walla. The role crept into his
daily life, he said, as children
recognize him as Santa year-
round.
He first noticed something
wrong in March 2021, when
he saw a bruise on his belly, he
said. It grew, so he saw a doctor.
After tests, Perkins learned he
had stage four pancreatic can-
cer, he said. Chemo weakened
him, he admitted.
“I made a commitment to the
city of Hermiston, and I will do
everything I can,” he said before
the tree lighting. “I would be
happy if I can do this.”
Perkins was in the midst of
stage four pancreatic cancer
on Dec. 2 when lived up to his
commitment and brought Santa
Claus to Hermiston’s Christmas
tree lighting ceremony.
Perkins is survived by his
wife of 51 years, a daughter and
son, three grandchildren, a sis-
ter and numerous nieces, neph-
ews and cousins. He was pre-
ceded in death by his parents,
stepfather and brother.
His funeral service was
scheduled for Aug. 4, at 10 a.m.
at the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints, 850 S.W. 11
St., Hermiston.
Coffee Break!
61. Makes chang-
es to
62. Some are
secret
63. Tooth care-
giver
64. Old English
poet
CLUES DOWN
1. Sign language
2. In style
3. Norwegian
river
4. People with
impaired
hearing
5. Large stinging
paper wasp
6. Bucharest is its
capital
7. River in Ireland
8. Type of TV
CLUES ACROSS 17. Prolific Italian 41. Built
9. Double-reed
opera com-
43. A neighbor-
1. Breezed
instruments
poser
hood
through
10. Spanish
18. Restaurants
45. Inflammation
5. Time units
motorcycle
20. One’s grand-
of the kidneys
(abbr.)
manufacturer
mother
48. Semitic fertility
8. Pigeon’s
12. Midway
21. Ancient Greek
god
murmur
between south
City
49. Temporary
11. Moves aside in
and southeast
22. Italian moun-
name of
fright
14. French com-
tain ranges
Seaborgium
13. Partner to
mune
25. Data
50. Wise people
“ahh”
19. Alike
30. Acted in an
55.
Tear
down
14. Taxis
23. A bachelor’s
obedient way
56. __-fi (slang)
15. Monetary units 31. Autonomic
apartment
of Turkey
24. Foot part
nervous system 57. Diamond
weight
16. Returned
between the
32. Not on the
59. Frosted
material
ball and ankle
up-and-up
60. Predecessor
authorization
25. Belonging to a
33. Mock lightly
thing
38. Mimic
to EU
(abbr.)
26. Japanese
classical
theater
27. Supervises
flying
28. Not even
29. Capital of
Saudi Arabia
34. Electronic
countermeasure
35. Consumed
36. American poli-
tician (abbr.)
37. Sun up in New
York
39. Casually
looked through
40. Revealed the
presence of
41. Peyton’s little
brother
42. Diana __,
singer
44. Study of moral
values and
rules
45. Civil Rights
group
46. Makes less
severe
47. Made an emo-
tional appeal
48. Vivacity of
style
51. One who is
highly skilled
52. Gets around
in pursuit of
pleasure
53. Famed guitar-
ist Clapton
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