Perry Randall Watkins

Perry Watkins, 66, of Jackson, MI passed away at 10:30 PM Sunday, October 5, 2025 at his sister, Lori’s home.

Perry was born in Kennett, Missouri and grew up in Pekin, Illinois. He graduated from Pekin High School and moved to Michigan in his twenties, settling in Jackson, Michigan in 1987 and purchasing a home on Vandercook Lake in 1990, where he lived until his health declined. He moved back to Pekin last year to be taken care of by his loving sisters. He remained connected to the Pekin community throughout his life in Michigan, particularly in recent years when he traveled back to participate in various addiction recovery events. He published a book on addiction recovery titled “Step Into Freedom” and was working on a second book, a novel, prior to his health issues.

Perry was a devout Christian and a member of First Congregational Church in Jackson, MI where he enjoyed attending services and volunteering in their soup kitchen.

Perry was very active in the recovery community in the Jackson area, partnering with both Washington Way recovery and the downtown Jackson chapter of Alcoholics Anonymous. He was also a member of Toastmasters.

Perry was a real estate agent for years. Prior to his career in real estate, he owned several small restaurant businesses and worked in the cable TV industry. He was an avid golfer and loved golfing at Ella Sharp Park. He also deeply enjoyed treasure hunting at flea markets and garage sales.

Perry is survived by his daughter, Amber Yearwood (m. Kahlil Yearwood), his son, Joshua Watkins (m. Meredyth Sneed), four grandchildren, and his two living sisters, Sara Garber (m. Dan Garber) of Manito, Illinois and Lori Merritt (m. Samuel Merritt) of Pekin, Illinois. He was preceded in death by his wife, Gina DeBiasi, sister, Sheila Gunzenhiser (m. Brian Gunzenhiser), his mother and stepfather, Barbara and James Frye, and his father, Billy Jo Watkins.

Memorial services will be held at 1:00 PM Saturday, October 25, 2025 at Sunset Hills Golf Course in Pekin, IL. Henderson Funeral Home & Crematory has been entrusted with Perry’s arrangements.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to Home of New Vision at https://homeofnewvision.org/ or First Congregational Church at http://www.jacksonucc.org/index.html.