By: Bob Chastain, Elain Hunt, and Art Lee
Bill Perkins, age 91, shows off the wooden hat he carved at the International Wood Collectors Society booth during a Woodworking Show at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis on Sunday, Feb. 3, 2019. – Michelle Pemberton/IndyStar
William H. Perkins, 97, of Greencastle, Indiana, passed away on Monday, February 3, 2025.
Born at home on June 5, 1927, in Clinton Township, the son of William Oscar and Jessie Hazel (Wood) Perkins. He was a graduate of Greencastle High School “Class of 1946”. He married Clema Jean Shonkwiler on November 7, 1948, at the home of her parents. Bill and Clema enjoyed traveling, visiting eleven countries and 48 states. They also enjoyed visiting relatives who lived all over the country.
Bill retired from Allison’s, where he had worked as a supervisor. After retirement, he became an avid woodworker and especially enjoyed making Christian crosses, puzzles and was known for his stick through the buttonhole “calling card” or as his friends nicknamed them, “business sticks.” His close friend, Bob Chastain, said that Bill made the sticks by the hundreds, stamping each with his contact information. At one point Bill told Bob that he needed to remove his phone number from the sticks because people were calling him at all hours of the day asking how to remove the stick from their shirts!
“Do you have one of Bill’s famous conversation-starting business sticks? If you are unfamiliar with the sticks, after first meeting Bill, he would attach one of his 3-inch long sticks to your shirt button-hole with a looped piece of string that was mysteriously shorter than the stick. At IWCS meetings, new friends would have these business sticks dangling from their shirts all day long. Bill did not reserve the sticks to IWCS members. Bob Chastain said Bill attached them to unsuspecting people who he met in town. Bill’s granddaughter was working at a local restaurant and she saw Bill’s business stick attached to one of her customers. “You must have already met my grand dad,” she said! At one event, after making his way past a gauntlet of security, Bill attached his business stick to the governor of the state of Indiana. Later that evening, the governor wanted Bill to give his business stick to the Indiana State Police chief!
I always liked stopping at his display table during the IWCS meetings. It was always a collection of head scratching wooden puzzles and projects. Known for his love of pranks and wooden puzzles, Bill would display his “chainsaw” at the IWCS meetings, which consisted of a hand saw handle with yards of hand-carved wooden links.
In the early 2000’s, when I was a new IWCS member, I attended the Chastains’ Sawmill Days in Ladoga, Indiana. I had casually mentioned that I was looking for some rot resistant posts for a trellis. The next day, Bill arrived at the Chastains, towing a trailer with a flat tire and six black locust logs. The hospitality shown to me by the Chastains and Bill was unforgettable. I drove my freshly milled black locust posts and red cedar boards back to Maryland in my under-sized pickup. Bill joked that the load was so heavy, the truck headlights were probably pointing upwards all the way home!“ -Art Lee
Bill was a life member of Morton Masonic Lodge #498, 3rd Degree Master Mason and Chaplain; F. & A.M., Scottish Rite, Indianapolis 1976: Shriners of Indiana, and Putnam County Shrine Club; Bainbridge Saddle Club; Life member of the International Wood Collectors Society; and Putnam County Woodworkers. He helped guide several Putnam County 4-H woodworkers and helped secure awards for the fair champions. Bill was a founding member and helped to clear the land for the present Bainbridge Saddle Club. Bill also saddle-broke over fifty horses for various people prior to his retirement.
“It has been many years ago, 60 to 70, we would visit Bill in Roachdale. His back was always sore from breaking a horse or two. He would come down to Park County and help my Dad bale hay. He always seemed happy. The 1st horse I ever sat on was there at Bills!”
– Jack Vaught son of Rex Vaught