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Schmitt Happens- Oahu Edition |
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In Loving Memory Kimberlie Perkins Video Tribute Click HERE Kimberlie Arlene Perkins, age 50, of Edmore, MI passed away on Wednesday, September 2, 2009 at Woodland
Hospice House in Mt. Pleasant, MI from stomach cancer.
Kimberlie was born in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan on January 21, 1959, the daughter of Donald and Barbara (Bell) Shurlow. Kim was a lifelong resident of Edmore, and graduated from Montabella High School with the class of 1977. Kimberlie married Gregory Lee Perkins of Edmore on July 2, 1977 and thus began her 32 years of being a devoted wife and manager/partner of their family owned farm. Kim enjoyed Bible study, walking, camping, hunting, traveling, spending time with her family and being a wonderful grandmother. She was also a very active member in her church. She is survived by her husband Gregory Perkins of Edmore, MI, 2 sons; Vachel and Krysti Perkins of Edmore, MI, Gregory and Nicole Perkins Jr. of Cedar Springs, MI, 2 daughters; Laura and Christopher Schmitt of Honolulu, HI, and Diana and Trent Hilding of Edmore, MI, 6 grandchildren; Salone-9, Jakob-5, Ayden-1, Joseph-6, Sophia-5, and Evangeline-3, her mother Barbara Bell of Grand Rapids, MI, 2 brothers; Donald and Gail Shurlow of Lakeview, MI, David and Keri Shurlow of Lowell, MI, sister Wendy and Dave Leonard of Lakeview, MI, mother-in-law Gloria Perkins of Edmore, MI, sisters-in-law; Sheryl and Conrad Mox of Potterville, MI, Vicki and Richard Weatherby of Alma, MI, Susan and Jeff Maguire of Edmore, MI, Rachelle and Scott Collar of Crystal, MI, and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her father Donald Shurlow.
Mom Story #4 Written by Greg Perkins. Proverbs
8:17 I love those who love Me and those who seek Me find Me. Hi Laura, I finally got the fifth wheel put away.
We finally got some sun shine this morning, although it is cloudy now. I have a church meeting tonight. I was thinking of the time we had Paul Story Buy us some Chianina Steersfrom up north sight unseen. I think that they were quite possibly the wildest steers that
we ever bought. I don' know if you remember, but we always had to weigh the steers when brought them home. That's
how we kept track of the weight gain per day. Well Paul, Mom, and I set up gates to run the steers
through so we could get them on the scales. The first two went through just fine, but not the third one. He jumped right over
the gate. Your Mother and I tried to head him off but that steer was heading west at full speed! I yelled at or Mother, "get
the truck and try to head him off over on Carlson rd. by Frank Hansen's." I told her, " I'll grab my Fat Cat
and see if I can get ahead of him and turn him around." I grabbed a Lasso too. I caught up with the steer after
it crossed Carlson Rd. about 3/4 of a mile from the shop. It still wasn't slowing down. I got up beside it and through
the lasso around the steers neck. I stopped and dropped my bike. That steer did not want to be
caught. It kicked me, It bunted me, and it hit me with it's front hoofs! But I thought that if I could hold on until
Your Mother got there then I could tie it to the bumper of the truck and drag it back to the barn. I watched as
your Mother pulled up to the field. I tried to motion for her to hurry up! Then I looked again and Mom was going back the
same way that she came! Didn't she see me?? By that time the steer had beat the crap out of me, so I thought to myself fine
go ahead and go!! I thought to myself no steer is worth having a heart attack over so I let it go. To my surprise
it took off running back toward the barn. So I jumped back on my Fat Cat (Which by the way I still have. It is a collectors
item Honda only made a limited amount of them.) and chased him back to the shop. When the
steer and I got to the farm Paul had parked his pickup and trailer so we could direct the steer into our garage. We got
it into the garage and were able to load it back into the trailer. When things calmed down I asked your Mother where
she went! I asked her If she saw me motioning her to hurry up. Mom said that she saw me but that she happened to look
at her gas gage and it was on empty. I was a little put out with your Mother at first but all you kids know that I could
never stay mad at her very long. We both had a good laugh over that one after we kissed and made up!!. I LOVE YOU
ALL!!!! LOVE GRANDPA!!!!!!!
MOM STORY #3 Hi Laura, I was just thinking of how hard your Mother
worked getting everything ready when we used to go to the 4-H Fair. Correct me if I'm wrong but one year we took three steers,
two horses and a hog. It was your Mother that helped you kids wash the steers and horses and get everything ready to
go to the fair. Plus she packed the old trailer and hauled it to Greenville and stayed down at the fair with you kids all
week We were all so spoiled by her. Mom walked 26.2 miles because she wanted to spend time with you and Kristi. She went
to smoked filled bars to watch and listen to Vach play in his band so she could spend time with him. She deer hunted and bow
hunted so she could spend time with her family, Vachel , Gregory, and I. She learned to bow hunt so she could spend time
with Gregory. She learned how to ride a 1300 VTX Honda so that we could spend time togather. Plus Mom learned how to
drive semi so that she could go with me and be togather while we worked. Mom did everything for everyone but herself.
She wouldn't even buy herself new clothes unless you girls made her. Mom love her grandchildren and wanted them all to
have a personal relationship with Jesus. That's way she made sure that they were in Sunday school. Mom was so proud of all
of you Kids and all the grandchildren too. I hope and pray that I can carry on what your Mother started. Your Mothers
prayer was that all of her family would have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. And
I think that she succeeded! I love you all!!! Below: The Beautiful Kimberlie Perkins, 1977.
MOM STORY #2 Written by Greg Perkins Hi
Laura, I was just thinking about when we grew potatoes down in Saint Joe County. I was thinking of how much you kids all love
it HA-HA-HA-HA. I know you remember those days well Laura, but I'll go through the whole story for anyone else that may
read this. As you remember the last story I wrote we had decided to quite milking cows and concentrate on our potato operation.
About the time we quite milking we had an opportunity to grow potatoes in partnership with the Crooks family. Your Mother and I talked about it and in your mothers typical fashion she agreed that she would support anything
that wanted to try. She didn't tell me I was stupid or that it was a crazy idea, she just told me that she would support
any decision that I made. So again we decided that it would be an adventure, and that we would try it. So we went into a partnership
with the Crooks family. They took care of growing the crop, while our job was the harvest and loading of the
potatoes and sending them to market. We had about 700 acres of potatoes in Three Rivers. 700 acres equals about 210,000
cwt of Potatoes. Again you need to remember we had our farm in Montcalm too. I believe we were growing about 700
acres of potatoes at home along with our other crops such as peas, green-beans, wheat, and corn. Harvest always
starts about two weeks early that far south. So we started harvest in the middle of July. On
a typical loading day we would load between 5 to 30 Semi trailers. each trailer would haul about 500 cwt.
So on a slow day we would dig and load about 2,500 cwt. and on a busy day we would dig and load about 15,000
hundred weight of Potatoes. Mom took care of the loading and I took care of the digging. On the busy days we would work
18 hours or more. We stayed in little travel trailers. We loaded out of this old barn and built a shower in an old
milk house. It was really hard work but mom never complained. The truck drivers were always bitching and complaining. One
funny story I remember was when some of the drivers told your mother that a certain driver had cut in line. By this time Mom was
sick of them all and was mad! She went out to a driver and let him have it! She told him to get to the back of the line and
if he didn't like it he could leave. The driver never got one word in while your mother was TALKING to him ! The driver decided
it may be better for himself not to talk back so he moved to the back of the line. There was only one problem she told
the wrong driver. We all got a good laugh out of that one. We would drive home on Fridays. Mom would do payroll, do our washing, and by groceries.
I would check the crops and give instructions to the help for the coming week. Then back we would go back down to Three Rivers.Our
busy days were always Saturday, Sunday,and Monday. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday were usually a little slower. Friday
we usually didn't have any loads, or very few. We grew potatoes down there for two years. The second year we rented a
cottage on Klinder Lake. It was a nice Lake, but we only were able to use it once the month that we were down there. On one
occasion we rented some Jet Skis. We grew Potatoes down there for two years. It was a lot of work and after our second year we
decided to expand our operation at home and quite farming down in St. Joe County. Again your Mother never complained. Your
Mother was the hardest working woman that I have ever known. Even when we were working 18 hours a day we couldn't keep
our hands off each other. Mom never did anything inappropriate. It was just a touch or a hug or a quick kiss when no
one was looking. God how I loved that woman! She was always so good to me! Well thats all for now I'll write some more later
I love all of you. Tell the kids that Grandpa says hi. Love, Dad !!!!
I was thinking about when we bought the dairy cows.
I always wanted to try the dairy business. And I know that you kids did too HA HA
. I grow up working on uncle Jerry"s Dairy Farm until I graduated High School, so I had the knowledge
needed.But Your Mother had never even been around a Dairy Cow!!!
We got an opportunity to try the cows when Bob Spencer had a sale and sold his cows.
We talked about it for several months before the sale. We went and talked to Bob to see if he would lease us his buildings.
We decided that if we did buy the cows we would try it for two years and if we liked it or if we could
make more money than growing potatoes then we would build a new facility at our shop site.
You know, your mother never shot down any of my ideas. She was always game for anything.
She never told me I was crazy, she always went along with whatever I wanted to try.
So anyway we decided that we would go for it
. Like I said Mom never milked cows, So I suggested that she go and work for Bob milking so she could learn about the dairy.
So she went and worked for him. Mom also went down to Green Meadows and learned to
artificial inseminate.Mom worked for Bob for about three months then on sale day
we bought 35 of Bobs cows WE WERE IN THE DAIRY BUSINESS !!
And I have to say we did really well. We were fighting for first in the county with Mike and Chris Rasmussen.
We were in the top 10% in days open, milk production, Semitic cell count,
Milk fat and protein. We would get the bull books out and look at them to see which bulls we were going to use.
It was just like Christmas!! Mom learned how to give iv's and how to drench a cow.
( Which means pouring this stuff down the cows throat.) That's how Mom lost her finger.
She was drenching a cow and it threw it's head back and pinched her finger between the cows head
and a pipe that was above the cows head.I know that it had to have hurt like****but Mom
never complained. She was back to work I believe the next day.
I milked sometimes. But most of the time Mom milked and I did the feeding and cleaning of the barn.
The kids helped at night when they didn't have sports or something else and on weekends.
Mom usually made it to the barn first.One day she checked the calving barn
and one of the cows had cast her withers. ( that means that the uterus comes out after the calf.)
Mom had never seen this before and the lighting was not very good in the calving barn
so she didn't know what in the world was going on. Mom called me at home in a panic!!
(Now you have to remember that we still had Potatoes too,so mom would let me sleep in an extra
1/2 hour.So I hurried to the barn.I knew right away what had happened
so mom called the vet and they stuffed her uterus back in her.
We couldn't breed her back but we were still milking that cow almost two years later.
I think if I remember correctly she was no. 49. When we sold her she was milking about 40lbs.
per day at 400 + days and over 60,000 lbs. of milk for her lactation. That's a good cow!
When a cow cast their withers you don't dare bred them back because it is very probable
that it will happen again. We didn't lose very many cows or calves.
Your Mother was very good at watching for sickness. As a matter of fact we did not lose a single calf because of sickness in the two+years that we milked
the cows. We had one cow No. 50, she perforate her uterus. The vet told us that she would never be able to be bred back,
But Mom got her bred. In the two years that we milked we went from 35 milk cows to over 100.
and while doing this we raised our production From 22,500lbs to a rolling herd average of 24,500lbs. per cow for 305 days of production.
We have an award somewhere for that. Mom loved the Dairy Farm but it was just to hard on us.
After the two years we were both so burned out that we decided that we would just stick with potatoes.
So we sold our herd to Mike and Chris Rasmussen. Story to be continued next time.
(Growing Potatoes in St Joe County.) Stay tuned. I love all of you !!!!!!
Love Dad !!!!! |
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Love, Grandpa |
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Krysti, Mom, Me and Diana a couple weeks before Moms cancer diagnosis.  |
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