Her Story

Willie Ruth (Davis) Perkins entered this life on December 23, 1936 in Malvern Arkansas. The second child and first daughter of the late Ray Davis and Ruthie McGhee Davis, she was affectionately called "Baby Sister."

Life was difficult in the post-depression era. There was a time when she shared a pair of shoes with her mother; she would wear them during the day, and her mother wore them at night. She laughingly attributed this childhood experience to her fondness for shoes. Hard work was a way of life. She learned its rewards and instilled the need and virtue of hard work in her children. Her drive and determination took her from an eighth-grade education to obtaining her G.E.D. and, eventually, to becoming a licensed practical nurse - all while working two jobs and raising six children.

Her drive to do better for herself and her family found expression in an entrepreneurial spirit. Her many endeavors to find streams of income included selling snow-cones, selling clothes from the trunk of her car, being an Avon representative, running a neighborhood store, and owning a restaurant ("Cooking for Christ). She was equally passionate about helping others in need. There were always several boxes of clothing and other items for some designated person. There was also a box for "someone who might need something." She had a particular soft spot for traveling evangelists for whom she always had an open door and a warm meal.

She was fond of telling how her father thought her mother had lost her mind when she joined the Pentecostal church and was filled with the Holy Spirit. She would laugh and say she agreed with him! She was six at the time. As a young adult she came to know the Lord for herself and devoted her life to His service.

Her husband, Robert Perkins, Sr., and four siblings: Ray Jr. ("RJ"), James, Lethell and Donnie preceded her in death. Two siblings, Joyce Norman (Arthur) of Dallas, TX and Franklin Davis (Vanessa) of Malvern, AR survive to mourn her passing. Jimmie Lou Buffing, a sister through the bonds of friendship, also preceded her in death. They called each other "Willie" and "Jimmie" and often joked that they had the names of men because they worked like men.

" Muh," as her children called her, transitioned peacefully in the early hours of November 26, 2017. Her legacy lives on through her children Peggy Henderson of Conway, AR; Casey Perkins (Carolyn) of Monticello, AR; Ronald "Tite" Davis (Darlene); Linda Norris (CO) of Hot Springs, AR; Cynthia Collins (Keith) of Memphis, TN; Fred Ellis (Marilyn) of Hot Springs, AR; and an adopted daughter, Sharron Perkins of Hot Springs, AR; 25 grandchildren, 36 great-grandchildren, and two great-great grandchildren, nieces, nephew and extended family and friends.

Funeral service will be 11:00 AM Saturday, December 2, 2017 at Mt. Zion Baptist Church 522 S. Banks Street, Malvern, AR.  Burial will follow in Peala Cemetery.  Visitation will be Friday from 6:00 - 8:00 PM at the funeral home.