Elizabeth Perkins

Elizabeth Ann “Betty” McCloskey Perkins, 90, died peacefully at her home in Englewood, Colorado on Tuesday December 1, 2020.

Born July 28, 1930 in Brooklyn, New York, she grew up in Brooklyn and then attended Oswego State Teachers College (now known as State University of New York at Oswego).   After college, she married William H. “Bill” Perkins of Lake Placid, New York in 1955, and they were married for 47 years until Bill’s passing in March, 2003.   Betty and Bill lived in several cities in Upstate New York before moving to Winter Park, Florida in 1968, where she was an elementary school teacher at St. Mary Magdalen in Altamonte Springs, Florida.  In 1993, she and Bill moved to Colorado, first to Denver, then Estes Park and then to Englewood.

Betty was an avid “green thumb” gardener and a wonderful cook. She enjoyed reading (especially about all things Irish), writing, sewing, visiting with family and friends and storytelling of all varieties.   Always quick witted with a heart of gold, she loved college football, British television shows and a nice glass of Baileys or apricot brandy on occasion.

Betty is survived by her sons William “Bill” Perkins II (who lives in Tallahassee, Florida with his wife, Susie Perkins), and Matthew Raymond Perkins (who lives in Englewood, Colorado with his wife, Denise Vega), and is also survived by her four grandchildren:  Sarah (Perkins) Wilson of Iowa City, Iowa; Zachary Vega-Perkins of San Francisco, California; Jesse Vega-Perkins of Ann Arbor, Michigan; and Rayanne Vega-Perkins of San Diego, California.

Mrs. (McCloskey) Perkins was preceded in death by her husband, William Henry Perkins, and her son Hugh James “Jay” Perkins, as well as her parents, Hugh Gerard McCloskey and Thelma (Muller) McCloskey, and sister Eileen McCloskey of Brooklyn, New York.  Betty’s father (Hugh McCloskey) was a police officer in New York City in the 1940’s-50’s and her paternal grandparents emigrated to the United States (New York) from Cork, Ireland (grandmother, Mary Ann Raymond) and Denmark (Edward J. McCloskey), and her maternal grandparents (Wendolin Muller and Maria Eva Wagner) emigrated to the United States (New Jersey) from Germany.  Betty’s great grandfather, Edward McCloskey, emigrated from Derry, Ireland and passed away in 1902 in Brooklyn, New York.

The McCloskey family is related to John McCloskey, who was appointed the first United States Cardinal of the Catholic Church in 1875 (appointed by Pope Pius IX, during the term of Ulysses S. Grant’s presidency), and was the second Archbishop of the New York archdiocese.  John McCloskey’s parents, Patrick and Elizabeth McCloskey, emigrated from Dungiven, County Derry, Ireland, in 1808 and settled in Brooklyn, New York.  Cardinal John McCloskey is buried under the high altar at St. Patrick's Cathedral (Manhattan, New York City), which is open for public visitation, and was the inspiration for the Cardinal McCloskey Community Services charitable organization in New York City, whose mission today is to protect, empower and promote independence for at-risk children and families and those with developmental disabilities through quality community based services.  See https://www.cmcs.org/

Private services for Elizabeth Ann McCloskey “Betty” Perkins will be held at Most Precious Blood Catholic Church in Denver at 10am Wednesday, December 16, 2020 (attendance limited due to current Covid19 restrictions).

In lieu of flowers or the like, memorial contributions in memory of Betty are appreciated at your favorite charity or at one of the following charities that Betty supported:

::  Reach Out & Read https://reachoutandreadco.org/ which empowers health care providers to talk with parents of young children about the importance of reading aloud at health check-ups with a special focus on children growing up in poverty.

::  Escuela de Guadalupe https://www.escuelaguadalupe.org/ , a private, primary school in Denver, Colorado whose mission is to support and uplift the global community, families, and students, by offering an education that integrates Spanish and English bi-literacy, Catholic values, and academic rigor and creates equal opportunity for all committed young scholars to become citizens of the world making positive change.

::  Denver Rescue Mission https://denverrescuemission.org/ serving the most vulnerable in our community for more than 128 years.

:: National Jewish Health https://www.nationaljewish.org/ a leading respiratory hospital based in Denver.

:: Habitat for Humanity https://www.habitat.org/ a global nonprofit housing organization working in local communities across all 50 states in the U.S. and in approximately 70 countries. Habitat’s vision is of a world where everyone has a decent place to live.