Alice Hilty Perkins

Alice Hilty Perkins of Winter Park, Florida and of Western Springs, Illinois died peacefully from complications of dementia and breast cancer on October 16, 2019 in the arms of her daughter and in the company of her family. She was 89 years old. Alice was born September 9, 1930 in Cleveland, Ohio to Anne Ruosch Hilty and Emil Hilty, of Buchs, Switzerland. A child of Swiss parents, Alice spoke French, German and English. She was a happy child and welcomed her younger brother, Robert (Bobby), 19 months later.

Alice was naturally artistic and as a child, became an accomplished pianist. Music was always part of her life—she sang in the choir of each church she attended, accompanied the children’s choir when called upon, and played in the hand bell choirs at the Western Springs Congregational Church and the Winter Park Towers. She loved gardening, creating stunning floral arrangements, sewing clothing for her girls, entertaining, dancing with her husband Bud, watching PBS, traveling, and sharing laughter with family and good friends. Her love for cooking and a scientific curiosity led her to a career in dietetics. She earned her Masters degree in nutrition, and led the nutrition services department at Rush Hospital (Rush/Anchor) in Chicago. When she retired from a career in dietetics and nutrition she pursued certification in ornamental horticulture, worked staffing conventions in Chicago, and volunteered at church.

For 56 years she shared life with her beloved husband, Bud (Henry) Perkins. His service in the Navy, and a career with D. A. Stuart Oil Company took them from Key West, Florida to Ann Arbor, Michigan, to Atlanta, Georgia and then to Cobham, Surrey, England. In 1970 they returned to the U.S. and settled in Western Springs, Illinois, Bud’s childhood town. In 2008 they retired to Winter Park, Florida to be near their youngest daughter, Betsy, and her family.

Alice was known for her impeccable memory. Bud used to teasingly refer to her as a walking file cabinet, adding that he had no need for remembering details because he could simply ask Alice. When dementia and disability crept into her life, her attitude remained positive. She once remarked that it was “kind of nice to be free of all those detailed memories.” Through it all she never forgot her family and the beautiful memories of her childhood. Even though her ability to use her short-term memory faded, she never stopped appreciating the beauty of nature. She loved to be outside in the garden, listening to the birds and feeling the sun. Often she remarked about the magnificence of the clouds in the sky. She was blessed to have caregivers who loved and appreciated her intelligence, her sense of humor, her capacity to be warm, and even the way she fiercely asserted herself at times.

Alice is survived by her three daughters, Anne Perkins Munley, Sally Perkins Zimmerman, and Betsy Perkins Schreyer, and their families: six grandchildren—Matt, Karis, John, Maryn, Alia, and Angelina-- and one great-grandchild, Otis. Her brother Bob Hilty, her niece Heidi, her nephews Wade and Hollis, and their families also survive her. She also leaves behind many cousins in Switzerland and joins those in the Swiss families who have passed on.

A celebration of her life will be held January 18, 2020 at 1:00 pm at the First Congregational Church of Western Springs, 1106 Chestnut Street, Western Springs, Illinois, 60558, where her remains will be interred in the memorial garden alongside those of her husband, Bud Perkins.

In her final days, Alice and family were guided, accompanied and blessed by hospice care that enabled her to pass peacefully surrounded by the love and presence of family both near and far.

If you would like to make a contribution in her memory, please consider a gift to The Gardens at DePugh Nursing Center, 550 W. Morse St, Winter Park, FL 32789, an independent non-profit nursing center where everyone provided extraordinary, loving care for Alice in her last years.

In lieu of flowers, please treat the people you love to dinner! Alice would have loved that.