After a brief battle with cancer, Hewitt Craik “Perk” Perkins, Jr., of Cordova TN, left his earthly home on September 12, 2026 and stepped into the arms of his Savior. Born on November 5, 1957 in Orange County, CA, Perk was 68 years old. The second child of Lt. Col. Hewitt Sr. and Mary Perkins, he grew up in the Marine Corps, as his father was a career aviator in the USMC. This life led the family around the country and Great Britain as the duty stations changed, but their home base was Memphis.

Perk spent the majority of his childhood in the nomadic lifestyle the military brings. At the age of 17, he enlisted in the Marines himself and serving his country for 8 years as an aviation radio technician. After his years in the military, he moved back to Memphis to be closer to his very large extended family.

Perk used his experience to secure a job in satellite communications at RCA Cylix where he rose in rank fairly rapidly. It wasn’t long before he found his way to FedEx, where he spent the next few decades as an IT Engineer before retiring in 2021.

Perk married Cindy Sharp on November 6, 1999 and their daughter Abigail completed the family in 2002. He was a member of Highland Heights Presbyterian Church, serving faithfully for many years as an elder and head of the IT department.

He was a guy who delighted in spending time with his family and friends and enjoyed many hobbies including golf, softball, collecting classic guns, good wine and bourbon, great music and watching selections from his very large movie collection. He recently found enjoyment in solving puzzles and also loved honing his creative skills. Well known for his great martinis and delicious grilled steaks, he and Cindy loved hosting parties in their home where there was always fun music playing, impromptu dance parties in the kitchen, and steaks coming off the grill no earlier than 10:30 pm.

Perk loved a good laugh, especially practical jokes and quite frequently he would drive his family and friends a bit crazy with some of his antics. His mom was one of his favorite targets and she often found things mysteriously rearranged or hidden in her apartment. Spending time with her was particularly special to him.

Perk was preceded in death by his parents and his wife Cindy. Left to cherish his memory are his daughter Abby, of Nashville, his siblings Mary Childress (Barry), of Bells TN, Emily (Julian), of Marvell AR, and Andrew, of Memphis, and his best friend John Conway, of Cordova. He also leaves many cousins, nieces, nephews and good friends.

Visitation for Perk is scheduled for 11 am Saturday at Highland Heights Presbyterian Church, 2855 Morning Sun Rd., Cordova, with funeral service with military honors following at 1 pm. Memorials may be made to the church or your desired charity.

Bartlett-Heritage Funeral Home & Cremation Center is honored to serve the family of Perk Perkins; (901) 372-5555