.
Bellview
Suzi Perkins loves to sing, so much so that she attended Brevard Junior College and the University of North Carolina in Greensboro, earning a degree in music education. Among her earlier jobs, she spent time in Virginia, where she taught music for about five years. She also spent time teaching children how to play the piano.
Perkins went back to class at N.C. State University, receiving a master’s degree in special education. She would teach for the next 18 years.
She has not been a risk-taker in life. For example, she once went on a rollercoaster, afterward losing her lunch.
Perkins is a refined lady who enjoys more calming activities, such as music. Church is very important to her, and she loves to sing. She’s a member of the Mountain Community Chorus, which meets in Young Harris, Ga., and performs two concerts a year.
“It’s a marvelous group of people to be with and sing with,” she said.
Perkins also sings at area churches on special occasions. Her favorite song is “Great is Thy Faithfulness.”
She is also involved with the Rotary Club of Murphy and will be taking over the position of president in July. This year, she is the membership chair.
Her favorite rotary event is Wells for Nora, which raises money to provide clean drinking water for Third World countries. She enjoys being involved in organizations that provide opportunities to serve others, which was one of the reasons she got involved with Rotary.
Perkins has had to learn on her strong faith throughout her life. At one point, when her brother was just 5 years old, he was struck by a truck, breaking his neck and suffering other injuries.
“We didn’t know if we’d lose him or not. Honestly, it was prayer that got me through it,” she said.
As a result of the accident, Perkins, just 16 years at the time, took on a more adult roll for the family. That included cooking and making sure the younger children were where they were supposed to be when mom was at the hospital.
Perkins moved to Cherokee County with her husband, Marvin, in 2018. He runs the business Omega Safety & Environmental in Murphy.
“We moved here because of the traffic in Raleigh. Ever since I was in Brevard, I wanted to come to the mountains,” she said.
“I love mountains. When I was a kid, we would go on vacation to either the mountains or the beach and I loved the mountains.”
Perkins enjoys her two cats, a dog, reading, the color purple, Iris flowers and waterfalls. She likes to travel across North Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee.
“I like to see something different,” she said. In 10 years, “I hope I’m still alive.”
Her advice to younger folks, including her grandson is, “Don’t get serious right away, make good friends. Those friends will help you through life. Good friends last longer than anyone.”
Suzi and Marvin have been married for 54 years. Her secret to keeping a relationship going for more than five decades is, “Have respect for each other and for what each other does. Be there for them when they’re doing things and back them up.”
If Perkins could change just one thing in the world today, it would be how people communicate with one another.
“If people would just respect each other,” she said, “our whole world would be better.”