Dr. Gay Helen Perkins

Dr. Gay Helen Perkins, 77, of Louisville, passed away on December 6, 2025. She was preceded in death by her loving parents Helen Matsko Perkins and Dr. George Perkins. She is survived by her brother, George Gary Perkins (Joan); nieces, Eileen Visser, Amy Perkins, Catherine Perkins; and great-nieces & nephews, Emma Visser, Heide Visser, Scott Visser, and Zachary Cuccialanza.

Born in Anchorage, Kentucky in 1948, Gay was a graduate of Eastern High School. She worked for the Rotterdam Hilton Hotel in 1968 - 1969 and graduated with a B.S. in Hotel Administration from Cornell University in 1971. She also graduated with a Ph.D. in Industrial and Counseling Psychology from the University of Minnesota in 1980 and worked as a Licensed Psychologist at the Assessment and Classification Center, Kentucky Bureau of Corrections in 1980 - 1986.

Her true profession was librarianship. Gay graduated with an M.S.L.S. In Library and Information Science from the University of Kentucky in 1987. She became a tenured professor and Business Librarian at Western Kentucky University during 1988 - 2010 and retired as a Professor of Library Public Services Emerita.

Gay was married to her beloved husband John Aloysius Sullivan in 1996 - 2010; who preceded her in death. She was a member of the American Library Association, Kentucky Library Association, Cornell Club of Louisville, several discussion groups, and Editor of the WKU Scholar. She loved reading, walking in the Kentucky State Parks, gourmet dining, and going to the racetrack with her husband.

A memorial visitation will take place on Wednesday, December 17, 2025, starting at 12:00 PM, with a funeral service to be held at 1:00 PM, at the Arch L. Heady - Cralle Funeral Home, 2428 Frankfort Avenue, Louisville, KY 40206. A burial will take place following the service at Cave Hill Cemetery, 701 Baxter Avenue, Louisville, Kentucky 40204.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Gay's memory to the Bernheim Forest, PO Box 130, Clermont, KY 40110.