Mrs. Leavy Mercedes Perkins

Leavy Mercedes Perkins was born Mercedes Victory Perrydon on December 5th, 1920. Her name was misspelled on her birth certificate. Her name should have read as Mercedes Victoria Perrodin. Middle name, Victoria, after her grandmother. The first name, Leavy, was later added. She would later go on to adopt many other names throughout her lifetime, such as Deedees, Merc, Mother, Mama, Gran, Grandma, and Legend. Mercedes was born to parents Alfred Joseph Perrodin and Mary Louise Estilette Perrodin, in Beaumont Texas. Both parents were from Opelousas, Louisiana. Her father, Alfred, worked as a mechanic for the Ford Motor Company. Her mother, Louise, worked as both a schoolteacher and community activist in her own right.

Mercedes was the oldest of seven kids, with three sisters: Connie, Alfreda, and Yvonne, and three brothers: John Lincoln, Alfred “Al” Jr., and a baby brother, called “Sonny Boy,” who died as a toddler. Mercedes also recalled having a baby sister named Emily, that passed away as a small child. The family lived in a home on Pine Street in Beaumont, TX. Mercedes took on a caregiving role early in life, helping her busy mother care for the other children. One of her earliest memories is standing on a step stool, because she was too little to reach the stove, to stir a pot of food. Caring from a very young age, Mercedes stated that she would give portions of her food away to her younger siblings, if they were still hungry after a meal.

Mercedes attended Charlton-Pollard high school in Beaumont, Texas. Mercedes was well-liked by her peers and served as the school Drum-Major. She loved to share the story where, on one occasion, she was marching with the band and her oversized bloomers fell to the ground. She said that she stepped out of the bloomers and kept on marching down the street. Many years later, Mercedes would return back to her hometown, to attend her 50th High School Reunion. Where, it was reported that she had a ball.

After graduating high school, Mercedes married John Compton and gave birth to her only child, daughter, Patricia “Pat” Compton. Mercedes always had a love for little children, “cheerin” as she called them in Southern slang. She hoped to have more children. However, after a traumatic labor and delivery, she was unable to birth any more children of her own.

While her daughter, Pat, was still a small child, Mercedes followed her husband to Norfolk, VA, who was stationed there in the Navy. She soon got a job working as both a seamstress and Rosie the Riveter Welder at the shipyards in Roanoke, Virginia. Mercedes said that because of her light complexion, her bosses told her to use the white restroom at the shipyard, but that didn’t feel right to her, so she refused. After a couple of years in Virginia, she then returned to Beaumont, TX, where she had the unfortunate experience of being a witness to the Beaumont Race Riots in 1943. Mercedes experienced a lot of racism growing up in the segregated South.

Mercedes later moved to California and settled in San Francisco. Her first marriage ended, and it was there in San Francisco that she met her second husband, Warren Thomas Perkins. He went by the name Don. They were happily married and ran a dry-cleaning business together. Don also moonlighted as a horse bookie, until he died of a massive heart attack in 1965. She never remarried.

Mercedes was an excellent seamstress and made beautiful high-end draperies for homes, businesses, and hotels throughout the Bay Area. At one point, Mercedes was also a Foster Mother, and took care of children who were wards of the state (mostly small babies.) Even decades later, Mercedes could still recall the small children that she cared for. She remembered names, characteristics, and specific stories about them.

Mercedes always had a deep love for children. She played a very significant role in the upbringing of her nephews, Darryl Compton, and Ronald “Ronnie” Adams, and her niece, Emma Nolan. Mercedes also began having her firstborn grandchildren, Paula Green, Lloyd Green, and Carla Puckett. Always maternal and loving, she jumped headfirst into helping raise her grandkids. She took joy in raising kids. If anyone ever needed help raising a baby, they knew to bring them to good ole Aunt Mercedes.

She later moved from San Francisco to Oakland, CA. It was there that she attended Mingleton Temple Church in West Oakland. Mercedes was always a godly woman and accepted Christ as her Lord and Savior at an early age. Her strong faith in the Lord helped carry her through her very long life. She was a virtuous woman and despite the chaos going on around her, she always lived a humble and honest life. Mercedes always took the straight and narrow approach to life and was a real Saint.

Her pastimes included sewing and cooking. Mercedes made delicious homemade southern meals. She would make her own pie crust, biscuits from scratch, and the most delicious fried chicken, and gumbo ever tasted. Just a few of her specialties. Mercedes cooked just about every day, and rarely dined out at restaurants. She never requested help in the kitchen. In fact, she was the opposite and told everyone to stay out of her kitchen while she cooked. On holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas, she would begin cooking the night before. All her holiday meals would be fully cooked the morning of the holiday and ready to serve before noon. She always said that she “didn’t like no last-minute people.” She took pride in keeping her house clean and always told the kids not to come to her house “tearing up.” “Go to yo mami house and tear up!” She would famously say. Along, with other sayings like “Jesus gave us light.” Where she would turn off all the lights in the house during the daytime. Her grandkids still laugh at her legendary sayings to this day.

She woke up early each morning before the sun came up and made her morning cup of tea, in her favorite teacup. She said that she kept waking up early throughout the years, just as she had when she was working a job. She stated with pride that she had never been late to work.

Mercedes never learned to drive a car and therefore, took the city bus, wherever she went. But that never slowed her down. She still went all around town. Walking and hopping on and off the bus to wherever she needed to go. With grandkids in tow. She always said that if she ever learned to drive and got a car, she would get a “pretty red car.” Red was her favorite color.

Her second round of grandkids were later born. Great-grandchildren starting off with twins: Kimi and Kelsey Jones, followed by Jamila Thomas, and Dante Green. Mercedes was always very active in her grandchildren’s lives. Doing everything from taking them to medical appointments, walking them to school daily, attending field trips, and baking cupcakes on birthdays and other special occasions.

At one point she lived in a one-bedroom house and shared a large king-sized bed with her young grandchildren. If other relatives came to visit, she would make room for them as well. In the 1990’s she moved to a large house in East, Oakland on E. 23rd Street. She was then able to accommodate enough living space to have all her generations of grandchildren and her daughter, Pat to come live with her under one roof. Mercedes always loved to have family and people around her. She always operated her home like a boarding house of sorts. Welcoming even friends of her grandchildren to come live in her home if they needed a place to stay. Offering a home-cooked meal to anyone who crossed her doorstep. While living at the large house on 23rd Street; her sister, Alfreda Clifton would come pick up Mercedes and her grandchildren, to go to the flea market on Saturday mornings. They would go to three different flea markets within the day and end by having lunch at Taco Bell, each weekend.

Later in the 1990’s Mercedes moved her family to Berkeley, CA. She moved right next door to her mother, Louise Perrodin, and her sister, Yvonne Adams. She was now able to live close to even more family members. Which she loved. She visited her mother, Louise, and sister, Yvonne daily.

More Grandchildren were born. Including Great-Great-Granddaughters, Brittney McCray, and Kiera Jones. Followed by another Great-Granddaughter, Myah Ortiz. Her great-grandson, Kimi Jones was tragically murdered in 1999.

Mercedes became a member of the Church, New Covenant Worship Center in Berkeley, CA, where she proudly served as beloved Church Mother, “Mother Perkins.” She faithfully brought whichever, grandchildren that were willing to attend church service, along with her, each Sunday.

Dante Green was the last of her great-grandchildren that she raised full-time. She was 88 years old when he graduated from high school. Mercedes was still active and living independently, well into her mid-nineties. She outlived her daughter, Pat, who died at the age of 74. As Mercedes’s body began to slow down, she moved in with her Grand-daughter, Carla Ortiz, her husband, Edward “Eddie” Ortiz, and daughter, Myah Ortiz, who became her caregivers until the end of her life.

Mercedes had a very difficult time relinquishing control when she could no longer care for herself and others, like she once had. Reminding the family that she had been caring for herself and others, long before any of them were even born. The strong Matriarch of the family, all Mercedes knew was to give rather than receive.

Selfless to a fault she always put everyone ahead of herself. It brought her more joy to do for others, than it did to do for herself.

Carla and her husband Eddie took Mercedes on her final trip back home to Beaumont, TX in the summer of 2017. At the end of their visit, they got stuck in Hurricane Harvey. They were able to flee the hurricane, leaving Beaumont by car, during the active storm, flying out of New Orleans, Louisiana. Even at 97 years of age at the time, Mercedes, remained strong in the face of danger. She may have even managed to still bring some of her favorite hot links, back home to her family in California.

Towards the end of her life, Mercedes enjoyed watching any tv show that had her favorite TV Host, Steve Harvey in it. She even attended a live television taping of the game show, Wheel of Fortune. She would take walks out in the park using her walker or wheelchair, on a nice day. She went out and about with her grandchildren regularly, to places like the movies, the mall, thrift stores, the county fair, and restaurants. Her favorite restaurant was Red Lobster.

Mercedes remained polite and appreciative. Filled with a heart of gratitude, she said thank you to everyone for everything. No matter how small the deed. She even once told her grand-daughter, Carla “Hey, you can say you’re welcome, you know!” In response to not receiving a reply, quickly enough. Right down to even thanking her own grandkids at the end of her life. When in fact, she was the one owed the thank you, for her lifetime of service!

It’s believed that Mercedes stayed longer on this earth, just because she didn’t want to make her family sad, by her absence. A lover of life, when asked if she would do it all over again, she said yes, every time, without hesitation. Kind, caring, compassionate, sincere, and selfless. There is no end to Mercedes, list of positive characteristics and attributes. God took his time when he created her. Mercedes was a true testament to what it meant to be a good human being. The embodiment of a pure heart!

Mercedes had a birthday party every year. She was fortunate enough to be able to celebrate her last birthday at 102 years of age, with her close, immediate family. She dressed up like her own version of an American Queen Elizabeth wearing a gold crown, bejeweled with red jewels.

Leavy Mercedes Perkins departed this life on July 22, 2023. She passed away peacefully in her bed. She is preceded in death by her parents, Alfred and Louise Perrodin, her late husband, Warren “Don” Perkins, her siblings, John Lincoln Perrodin, Connie Nolan, Yvonne Adams, daughter, Patricia “Pat” Puckett, great-grandson, Kimi Jones, and grandson-in-law George Silver.

Mercedes leaves to cherish her precious memory; Grandchildren: Paula Green, Lloyd Green, and Carla Ortiz; Great- Grandchildren: Kelsey Jones, Jamila Thomas, Dante Green, and Myah Ortiz; Great-Great-Grandchildren: Brittney McCray, and Kiera Jones; Sister: Alfreda Clifton and Brother: Alfred “Al” Perrodin Jr.; Nephew-in-law: Edward “Eddie” Ortiz; Extended family: Erica Malcolm and Maria Haverstock; Nephews: Darryl Compton, Ronald “Ronnie” Adams; Nieces: Emma Nolan, Trina Haynes, Carol Ann Clifton-Fortson, and Monice Pernell. And, a host of other beloved nieces, nephews, relatives, former church members, and friends.

LEGACY OF LOVE

A wife, a mother, a grandma too,

This is the legacy we have from you.

You TAUGHT US LOVE, how LIVE and to fight,

You gave us strength, you gave us might.

A stronger person would be hard to find,

And in your HEART, you were ALWAYS KIND.

You fought for us all in one way or another,

Not just as a wife not just as a mother.

For ALL us you gave YOUR BEST,

Now the time has come for you to REST.

So go in PEACE, you've earned your sleep,

YOUR LOVE in our hearts, we'll

Eternally Keep.