Milledgeville, GA – Emily Katherine Perkinson Lyda, 96, born and raised in Asheville, NC, passed away peacefully on January 30, 2017. Cherished by all who knew her, she was a sweet, compassionate Christian to the end. She was preceded in death by her husband, Edgar W. Lyda (MD); her son, William Edgar Lyda; her parents, Rev. Seth J. Perkinson and Lela Young Perkinson, all of Asheville; brothers, Carl Perkinson and his wife, Elizabeth Graves Perkinson - Winston-Salem, NC, Seth J. Perkinson, Jr.; sister Louise H. Ijams and her husbands, Major Richard F. Harrison and Carroll C. Ijams. Surviving siblings include sisters, Mildred P. Young, Asheville, NC, and Dorothy E. (Harvey) Kres - Cape Coral, FL. A host of beloved nieces and nephews also survive.
Surviving children are Louise L. (John) Sallstrom of Milledgeville, GA; James P. (Suzanne Gray) Lyda of Middleburg, FL; and Mary L. Anderton of Knoxville, TN. Grandchildren, who loved her dearly, include Amy S. (Jason S.) Smith, Jenny S. McDade, Bradford (Brad) G. and (Jacqueline - “Jackie”) Lyda; Emily J. Anderton, Ashley A. (Brian) Reynolds, and Mary Hannah Anderton. Great-grandchildren, her special blessings, are Avery Katherine, Braydon Emery, and Colton William Smith; Madison Kate and Matthew Wesley McDade; Ansley Elizabeth, Brody Tison, and Troy August Lyda; Aaron K. Middleton; Piper S.R. and Castin H. Bumgarner, Brylee L. Reynolds; Kylie Marie, and Typhanie Madyzen Anderton.
Katherine and Ed met while lifeguarding in high school, and they married after his graduation from Wake Forest College and Bowman Gray Medical School. She completed her studies at Mars Hill College and worked at the Navy Department in Washington, DC. Homemaking was her hallmark, and she enjoyed being an activity director for several nursing homes after her husband died. A lifelong learner and proponent of being “well rounded”, she enjoyed taking a variety of classes and learning many skills. Katherine continued to enjoy playing the piano until she was 95!
While she was cherished for her perpetual smile and charm, being in “Dirty Dancing” was her “claim to fame”. After reading about a call for “extras” for a movie about dancing, Katherine was chosen to join the crew at Lake Lure, where she met Patrick Swayze and had “the time of her life”! Subsequently, she was interviewed by many, and she happily gave her autograph to excited children. She was the only “extra” in the movie who was recognizable as she threw off her stole and danced with a lady friend on set. Credited by the screen writer as providing the pivotal moment for the film, Eleanor Bergstein attested she was indebted to her.
Prior to her death, though she had not spoken coherently for months, Katherine gave individual blessings to those around her. Her kindness and sweet disposition, the ever-present dimpled smile, and four faith-filled children, whom she taught Biblical truths, are her legacy. Family and friends “rise up and call her blessed”.
Services include a memorial service at Green Acres Health and Rehab, where she has lived for several years, and an interment service at Riverside Cemetery in Asheville, NC on April 1 at 10 a.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to Milledgeville Cares, Inc., P.O. Box 754, Hardwick, GA 31034; the Louise L. Sallstrom Donor Assisted Fund, Community Foundation of Central Georgia, 577 Mulberry St., Suite 1600 Macon, GA 31201; or to your charity of choice. Please consider being an organ donor, sharing with the less fortunate, and/or “making someone’s day” in memory of Katherine.
Snow’s Memorial Chapel, Macon, GA, is in charge of arrangements.
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