Frances Baird Perkins

Born on March 13, 1941, at Mitchel Field, Long Island, New York, she was the daughter of the late Master Sergeant Charles C. Baird and Dorothy Leight Baird. She was preceded in death by her sister, Patricia Perkins (Bert). She is survived by her husband of 63 years, Ernest W. Perkins Jr.; her sons, William Perkins (Jhovana Buezo) and David Perkins (Colette); her daughter, Elizabeth Herndon (Calvin); and her grandchildren, Travis Herndon (Ethan), Lauren Herndon, Jason Herndon (Kaylee), and Hannah Perkins. Last but not least, newborn great-grandson Cutter Herndon.

Frances was a loving wife and mother, and a true daughter of Sandston. She moved to the area in 1947 when her father transferred to the Virginia Air National Guard after 24 years of service in the U.S. Army Air Corps. She went on to raise her own family in Sandston, giving them all the love she could. She never missed a parent-teacher conference or school performance and was actively involved in Sandston Little League and Babe Ruth baseball, something that was dear to her heart. She worked for the Grand Lodge of Virginia for 25 years. She was also a doting mother to the four dachshunds she cared for over the years: Lady, Missy, Lucy, and Schnitzel. She was a huge Elvis fan, but also of James Dean. As a teenager, she wrote a passionate defense of Dean to a Richmond newspaper after his death. Her independent spirit was East End to the core.

The family will receive friends from 5 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, October 22, 2026, at Nelsen Funeral Home, 4650 S. Laburnum Ave., Richmond, VA 23231, where a Celebration of Life Sevice will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, October 23, 2026.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Span Center https://spancenter.org/