John Curtis Perkins, III of McKinleyville, passed away on June 26, 2025. He was born on February 11, 1961, in Snowflake, Arizona, to John Curtis Perkins, Jr., and Rosemary Ellen Barton.

On the outside looking in, it would seem as though the final sum of John’s life amounted to nothing more than bad choices and an addiction that owned him. After many years estranged from his family, it’s easy to judge his life and the consequences of his choices, silently persecuting him for the wrong he did and the hurt he brought upon others. It’s easy for those who have not been in his position to conclude that he contributed nothing good to the world or to the lives of those who once knew him and loved him. And yet, we fail to see the other side of the man who died alone.

John was once a precious newborn held in the comfort and warmth of his mother’s arms. He grew into a spirited little boy, full of energy, curiosity, and boundless imagination. As we look to the young man he became, he was gifted with a brilliant mind and a remarkable talent for fixing anything he set his hands to. He was once a young husband who blessed this world with three amazing children whom he loved in the best way he knew how.

John can be described in many ways. He was gifted, troubled, a hard worker, and sadly, suffocated by mental illness and addiction. And yet, it was in the simple things — fishing, driving fast, fixing what others couldn’t — where he truly came alive. He worked hard and was always willing to do what needed to be done. He tore things down, repaired everything he could get his hands on, and built various things. He milked cows, caught crab, worked on fishing boats, and commercial trawlers. Only a week before he passed, John spent time helping a friend with her yard work, a friend he had been there for during her husband’s illness, offering help and support as her husband’s health declined, until the time of his passing just last year. She described John as a good handyman who helped others when he could.

Somewhere, early in his life, a shift in the tide occurred. He became lost in the depths of darkness. John wandered down a road of no return, marked by his estrangement from his children, his first love, and the family that once stood by him. I believe there are times in life when we are dealt a hand that simply can’t be won. Sometimes we make choices out of selfishness and ignorance, and oftentimes we do what we must to survive. I contemplate the beginnings of John’s life and wonder how the road of darkness came to consume him. Many have struggled to understand, each offering their piece in explaining why his life turned the way it did. In the end, perhaps the full truth is held not by any one person, but in the quiet space where all those pieces meet.

Bad choices and addiction are not the measure of this man’s life. The next time you think of John, his life, or past mistakes that make you feel uncomfortable or outraged, remember this: John was a man caught between the harsh realities of a broken family and the relentless grip of mental illness and addiction. His eyes were once bright with possibility, and in the end, they carried the weight of battles fought within himself. Battles against his demons, loneliness, and regret. His hands were weathered, not from hard work alone but from the daily fight for survival. Beneath the layers of poor choices and having the odds stacked against him, there lingers a trace of the person he used to be. He was a son, a brother, a husband, a father, and a grandfather of two, though life never allowed him the chance to meet them. His life was complicated, shaped by choices, marked by pain, and defined by circumstance. Let’s remember John for the good he added to our lives, the stories of a mischievous little boy, and the tales of a wild teenager and young man.

John is survived by his daughters, Janell (David) Mathews and Paige (Brandon) Rathke; son, Johnathan Paighton Perkins; grandchildren, Hunter JC Mathews and Aspen Leah-Janell Mathews; sister, Schelina Estevo; brothers, Ralph Craig (Darla) Perkins and Manuel Chester “Tino” Faustino, and many aunts, uncles, and cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents and sister, Angela Mary Faustino (Angie) Wratchford.

Arrangements were handled by Ayers Family Cremation in Eureka. No services are scheduled.