Joseph Frederick Perkins was born on August 11th, 1925 in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania.  His parents were Frederick Perkins and Milvern Finegan.  Joseph was the second of five siblings who all grew up in Burgettstown.

Joseph enlisted in the army at age eighteen and was stationed in Europe during World War II.  He served with an engineer group repairing bridges.

At age twenty-eight he married Pattie Lou "Freda" Birkheimer from Weirton, West Virginia.  Together, Joseph and Freda raised five children.  At the time of his death he also had twelve grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

For most of Joseph's career, he was a member of the Teamsters Union working as a truck driver hauling the steel produced at Weirton Steel Corporation.  After retirement, he worked part time jobs to fill his time.  His favorite was as a cook for Giovanni's Pizza in Weirton.

Throughout his adult life, Joseph was a relentless inventor.  He did copyright a few of his designs.  In his final years he wrote a book.  Unfortunately, he passed away before he was able to submit it for publication.  Late in his life, Joseph developed a strong interest in astrology and numerology.

Joseph battled cancer for many years.  Cancer finally claimed him in the evening of July 25, 2001 just a few weeks before his seventy-sixth birthday.  He was well known for being a talkative and vibrant man.  He was interesting and unusual and will surely be remembered fondly by all who knew and loved him.

Joseph F. Perkins Fund, created by a bequest from Mr. Perkins will support youth programming in the Burgettstown area.

Click here for a list of grants awarded from this fund.