Unforgettable Folks #1, Doyle Perkins

As a former longtime fan of the “Reader’s Digest” before it became a condensed version of “People” magazine, one of my favorite features was “The Most Unforgettable Character I Ever Met.”

All sorts of individuals were highlighted. Some were humorous, some uplifting, some sad. But all were interesting.

With that in mind I thought that it might be a “good read” to offer my version: “Unforgettable Folks I Have Known.” One person who came to mind was a good ol’ boy named Doyle Perkins. He was a great guy with a ready sense of humor who was the retired first sergeant of a medium-size sheriff’s department in SW Oregon.

In retirement he joined his wife in their business that sold a wide range of knick-knacks, gimcracks, odds and ends, furniture, collectables and antiques of many kinds. My late wife, Jan, and I purchased quite a few items because Doyle and his wife, Marjorie, watched for what we liked: pig objects for Jan, railroad stuff for me. We were good friends and visited often, including many meals.

My buddy was unafraid to take steps into the unknown, such as, when as a road deputy, he was dared to seek a date with Marjorie. She was the daughter of the nearest big city police department chief who apparently thought that my friend was a bit of a cowboy. Well, he was. But he and the daughter hit it off and got married.

During his law enforcement career Doyle was well known for being first on-scene in many situations. His fit size, 6-3/210 pounds, served him well in many cases. He recalled being a 5-9 skinny kid before he went into the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He returned as a much taller, heavier and physically fit chap and became a sheriff’s officer.

Among his memories was a major traffic accident in a downtown area in which the driver of one vehicle was decapitated. Doyle located the head near the scene, picked it up by the hair and was carrying it to his patrol car. A woman stopped in traffic rolled down her window at the sight and admonished, “That’s no way to treat that!” Doyle’s response: “Well, hell lady, they don’t make boxes for these!” He was reprimanded later, but that was overshadowed by his citations.

He single-handedly corralled four men suspected in a series of bank holdups, holding them at bay until another officer arrived ASAP. Which was 30 minutes later. Yes, a tall, well-built and determined officer could do that. He also kept his vehicle spotlight shining through the rear window of their car, but never showed a weapon. His commanding voice was enough.

Doyle never stood for being bullied or threatened. At the store with his wife one day a belligerent man was causing a problem. My friend listened politely and tried to reason with the man, who eventually threatened violence. But he left quickly when Doyle took his .45-caliber handgun from under the counter and told the guy, “You have my permission to leave right now.” Case closed.

His career also included being the lone person willing to retrieve the  long-dead remains of a man found in a home. I asked how he did it. He explained that he used a snow shovel, one scoop at a time -- with periodic interruptions to vomit -- until the task was complete.

He also recalled a single-vehicle rollover accident in which the vehicle ended up in an extremely muddy field. A woman was partially under part of the car, and Doyle worked to remove barbed wire from around her, being careful to not damage her protruding head.

He then used a jack to partially lift the car to retrieve the woman. To his utter shock, as the car rose, the woman shouted, “Thank you!” because due to the saturated field she was relatively safe from death. Doyle noted that he about lost it when the gal spoke but was glad that she lived.

As with many in law enforcement his experiences could fill a book. But in his case, we’ll have to do with the size of this space.