Danny Perkins

Danny J. Perkins was born in Clayton, New Mexico on Jan 14th, 1946. He was raised on a small farm in Sedan, New Mexico by his mother and father, Goldie and Willie Perkins, along with his five brothers and two sisters, Billy, David, Mary, Robert, Glenna, James and Joe.
From a very young age, Danny was no stranger to hard work. At seven years old, he learned to drive his Pa’s tractor. From plowing the fields to milking the cows, hard work was something he was good at and something, as he grew older, he became known for.
His mother and father were devout Christians. They regularly listened to Christian broadcasts where they learned about Bob Jones University in Greenville, SC. Wanting a Christian education for their children, Goldie and Willie sent them one by one to Bob Jones Academy.
While there, Danny proved his talent in various sports. He was an incredibly skilled soccer player and despite being only 5'6", exceptional at basketball.
After graduating from BJA, Danny worked as staff on BJU campus with his good friend, Dick Murr. While there, a young secretary by the name of Crystal Murphy caught his eye. For their first date, they went to the Clock Drive-In. After sitting there for a few minutes, Danny, slightly embarrassed that he didn’t have enough money on him to pay for dinner said, “I’m not very hungry, do you want to just get a Coke?” Luckily, a disaster of a first date didn’t change her opinion of him.
Danny was so over the moon with this girl, on his next visit home, he took some photos of her to show his folks. In one of the photos, Crystal happened to be sitting on a motorcycle, which to his parents meant she was a motorbike riding wild child, someone they weren’t so keen on him bringing home.
But before long, Danny and Crystal were married on August 10th, 1968. As it happens, Crystal fit right in with the Perkins as she too came from the same size family with 5 brothers and 2 sisters, all with the same Christian upbringing and strong work ethic.
After leaving Bob Jones, they moved to central Florida where Danny was an operating engineer and helped build a new theme park called Disney World. A few years after Disney opened, he bought a restaurant, worked in real estate and started auctioneering. Then, in May of 1977, Danny and Crystal had their son, Brodie (hi, that's me).
They moved back out west to Dumas, Texas, where Dad worked with his brother James in the auction business. After eight years, Dad knew that he wanted for me the same opportunity for a Christian education as he had as a child. They packed everything up and headed back to Greenville, SC.
We take a quick detour here to tell the tragic story of my hamster, Harry. The preceding winter, Harry was accidentally left out in our garage where he froze, nearly to death. My dad took Harry and curled up in the bed under blankets to warm him up and saved his little life. However, Harry was mistakenly left in one of the hot moving trucks during a lunch stop on our cross country move. The truck was driven by my Uncle Thurman Wisdom. Upon discovery of the tragic mistake, his son Stephen attempted to cool off and nurse the hamster back to life. Unfortunately for me, he was not successful. You can still find Harry’s tiny grave off Route 66 if you know where to look.
Dad opened the very first antique mall in Greenville. With Danny’s Antiques, his professions included antique dealer, auctioneer, appraiser and real estate agent. While running his antique mall, he acquired countless pieces of history. Whether it was chairs that Lincoln had in the White House, harmonicas used by Elvis and Hank Williams, or original photographs from the Battle of Little Bighorn, he always had something interesting to show and a fantastic story to share. His love for discovering and learning about rare items scattered across the nation fueled his passion for his antique business for over 40 years.
If Dad was one thing, he was generous to a fault. He’d often pay a little more for an antique because he knew the person selling it needed the money. He’d also ask less if he felt the person buying really needed a break. If he knew you were in need of something, he’d load up in his big red and white truck and come help out however he could.
He and my mother were married for 52 years and in that time I’ve known without a doubt I was the luckiest kid on earth. If there was one thing my dad instilled in me, it was to work hard. Through him I learned from a young age that hard work had value and purpose. He taught me that while you might not always make the right choices you needed to stick to your values and always look to God for continued guidance.
He served and loved the Lord all his life and was a testimony to everyone he encountered.
The past several years, my dad found an abundance of joy in his two granddaughters, Aria and Lyra. He was able to be a doting grandfather to Aria since birth. He enjoyed the simple aspects of having a baby around, like cradling her in his arms and rocking her to sleep. Theirs grew to be a mutually beneficial relationship where he’d often be found reading a book to her while she drew a picture for him.
While he never got the opportunity to hold our one-year-old, Lyra, through frequent video chats you’ve never seen a man smile as big as he did every single time she waddled into the frame. He loved them both immensely.
I’ve told a lot of stories in this tribute because like my dad, I enjoy telling them. And when it comes to my dad, there are countless to be told.
I just hope that everyone who knew him and who love him as my mother and I do will keep telling them.
• Brodie Perkins
Danny passed away on May 2nd, 2021 at the age of 75. He is survived by his wife, Crystal Perkins; his son, Brodie (Emily) Perkins of Kaneohe, HI; two granddaughters, Aria and Lyra Perkins; two sisters, Mary (Thurman) Wisdom of Greenville, SC, and Glenna (David) Kendall of Taylors, SC; two brothers, James (Janet) Perkins of Sedan, NM, and Joe (Mary) Perkins of Dalhart, TX; as well as numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. He was predeceased by his brothers Billy D. Perkins, Robert B. Perkins and J. David Perkins.
In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to The Wilds Christian Camp, P.O. Box 509, Taylors, SC 29687 or to Hampton Park Baptist Church, 875 State Park Rd, Greenville, SC 29609.