James Edward "Jim" Perkins

Niantic - James Edward Perkins, 68, of Niantic, died unexpectedly Monday at his home.

Jim was born April 13, 1957 in Warsaw, New York, as the son of Harry and Ellen Myers Perkins. Jim married Martha Shea Perkins on May 22, 1982 at Mystic Seaport; she survives him. After graduating from Penn State in 1979 with a degree in Civil Engineering, Jim spent his career working at Electric Boat. When Jim retired, he was managing the program that engineered, built, and tested the USS Jimmy Carter, a highly specialized, nuclear-powered submarine in the U.S. Navy.

It is hard to put into words a man so dependable and so deeply loved. Jim devoted himself to caring for his family and friends without hesitation. If something needed fixing, building, painting, or improving, Jim was already on it. He never waited to be asked. After a long day of work, you could often find Jim floating in the pool, enjoying a well-earned moment of peace.

In his younger years, Jim loved cycling, once even cycling from upstate New York to the coast of Maine. He taught his son Danny to sail and traveled around the country with Martha taking Danny to regattas, instilling in Danny a lifelong love for sailing, boating, and the sea. In retirement, Jim loved to golf, cook, sit by the fire pit, watch the Tour de France, and take walks on the beach and on the Niantic Boardwalk. Jim also loved woodworking; he built coat racks, vegetable stands, and countless other projects for the people he loved. Most of all, from his annual trips to Maine to game nights at home, Jim loved spending time with his family and friends. Jim's steady presence and generous heart will be deeply missed, but his legacy lives on in all the things he built and every memory we have with him.

In addition to his wife Martha, Jim is survived by his son Daniel Perkins and daughter-in-law Elizabeth, his mother Ellen Perkins, his brothers Steven, Carl and Gregory Perkins, and his sister Mary Wegener.

A celebration of life will be held for Jim in the coming months. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to The Coast Guard Foundation in Jim's memory to support the community of service members and families who protect our nation's coasts and waterways.

To leave the Perkins family a condolence, please visit his memorial page at www.neilanfuneralhome.com. James Edward Perkins