Known for her kindness, gentle nature, love of life, and devotion to her Catholic faith, Carolyn Brabham Perkins died on May 13, 2021, surrounded by her family after a lengthy illness with congestive heart failure and Alzheimer's disease. As it was throughout her life, her faith anchored her during these last years. She was a kind, sweet, and generous soul even in illness. Carolyn was born on September 4, 1934 in Rochelle, LA. Carolyn deeply loved her family and friends. She was a wonderful daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt, teacher, and friend. She never met a stranger, and her kindness extended to every person she met. All who entered her home were greeted with warmth and hospitality and were immediately put at ease. Together with her husband, John, they welcomed and entertained hundreds of people in their home. She exuded joy that was without a doubt rooted in her faith. A longtime member of St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Baton Rouge, LA, she provided her family with a solid faith foundation insisting that her family go to mass no matter where they are in the world. She was a woman of prayer, kneeling every night with her husband to pray by their bed, praying with grandchildren and great-grandchildren before bedtime, and offering quiet prayers from her bed during the last several months of her life. Her lived expression of faith showed up in her encouraging spirit and optimism. She believed in the underdog, called forth the best in every person, and saw the positive in any situation. Her gratitude for life extended beyond people into a love of nature. The birds and "friend critters" in her backyard were treated with the same generosity, often being given a bounty of leftovers from that day's meal. She taught second grade for thirty years in Baton Rouge, first at Belfair Elementary and then River Oaks Elementary. Her love of teaching extended long after her time in the classroom where she continued to share her wisdom and life lessons with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, always encouraging them in their education. Her kindness always came through - she rarely raised her voice, rather she simply gave her "teacher eyes" then students, grandchildren, and adults alike knew it was time to get in line. She was preceded in death by her husband John H. Perkins; her parents, Nan Ward Brabham and Arthur H. Brabham; her brothers Arthur H. "Bubba" Brabham, Jr, and James Leander Brabham; her sister Joyce Brabham Johnson; by two nephews Michael Brabham, Patrick Brabham, and sister-in-law, Beverly Felder. Survived by her daughter, Cookie Perkins Uffman and husband Kerry Uffman of Baton Rouge; her three grandchildren, Chip Uffman and wife, Ashley Musick Uffman, of Ft. Worth, Texas; Becky Uffman Eldredge and husband, Chris Eldredge, of Baton Rouge; and Connor Uffman and wife, Amy Holloway Uffman, of Baton Rouge; her ten great-grandchildren: Ella Uffman, Brady Eldredge, William Uffman, Audrey Uffman, Abby Eldredge, Carter Uffman, Amelie Uffman, Mary Eldredge, Charlotte Uffman, and Luke Uffman; her nephew, Thomas Johnson of Sulfur, LA; and her niece, Becky Chafin of Lake Charles, LA. Serving as pallbearers are Kerry Uffman, Chip Uffman, Connor Uffman, William Uffman, Chris Eldredge, Brady Eldredge, Randy Lemoine, Steve Junot, and Bill Coker. Her family would like to thank her loving caregivers from Home Instead, especially her longtime caregivers, Lydia Payne, Shandra Farmer, Renorda Bradley, Erica Johnson, Liz Searcy and Hospice of Baton Rouge for their exceptional care and kindness. Visitation will be on Tuesday, May 18, from 9 am - 10:30 am at St. Thomas More Catholic Church, 11441 Goodwood Blvd, Baton Rouge, LA, 70815. Funeral Mass will begin at 10:30 am, followed by burial at Greenoaks Memorial Park. Masks are required. In lieu of flowers, donation can be made to St. Vincent de Paul, the Shriner's Hospital, or to The Carolyn Perkins Memorial Scholarship at St. Joseph's Academy Foundation, 3015 Broussard, Baton Rouge, LA 70808 or online at sjabr.org.
