Lonnie Perrin, Sr.
February 3, 1952 - January 7, 2021
Lonnie Perrin, Sr., age 68 of Clinton, Maryland departed life Thursday, January 7, 2021 at Medstar Southern Maryland Hospital. He always carried himself in a stately and reserved way. He loved serving others and his kind, caring, and compassionate nature always shone bright throughout his life.
Lonnie was born on February 3, 1952 in Norfolk, Virginia to the late Fannie Dorothy Skinner who was the light of his life and the late Marion Charles Perrin. He spent his formative years there in a large, loving, and close extended family. Lonnie was a great storyteller and spoke fondly and often of his family experiences in Liberty Park in Norfolk. He delightfully recounted tales of his mischief and the pranks he would pull on his siblings and cousins. In retrospect, he thought he could have eclipsed his athletic accomplishments when he nearly lost his index finger when he slipped away to explore a nearby construction sight and a large cylinder block fell on his hand splitting it open. The ever prankster, he ran into the house for help, but in part, to scare his sister and female cousins at the sight of blood. Lonnie always smiled widely as he told how he ran in the house and they all frantically ran out.
When he was nine years old, his family moved to Washington, DC and soon settled into the far northeast Kenilworth-Parkside community where Lonnie’s intellect and athleticism enabled him to rise above his circumstances and environment. Lonnie often spoke of a few very close friends with greater athletic ability than his who did not make it out, but who cared enough about him to separate from him when they were doing the wrong things. They saw something different or special in Lonnie as did others who were instrumental in guiding him along the way. For that, he was eternally grateful.
Lonnie attended Hayes Elementary and while at Roper Junior High School, he met his lifelong mentor, Joe Dean Davidson who encouraged him to continue matriculating at McKinley Technical High School instead of his designated neighborhood school, Spingarn. Lonnie never met his own father but attributed much of his success to having an exemplary, protective, loving and, nurturing mother who had high expectations and was a force to be reckoned with when it came to her children. He was also soared on the wings of the guidance and support he received from his five loving uncles; the Kenilworth-Parkside Recreation Center Roving Leaders, Mr. Yates McCorkle and others; and, Mr. Davidson.
At McKinley, Lonnie excelled in both football and basketball leading “Tech” to three football Turkey Bowl appearances. He was also captain of the basketball team which won the Inter -High Championship two of the three years. Regarded by many as DC’s greatest all-around high school athlete, Lonnie received numerous honors including The Touchdown Club Award, The Washington Post and Evening Star Player of the Year Award in 1970 and was named a member of The Washington Post’s All Metropolitan and The Parade Magazine’s All American Teams. Highly recruited for basketball and football by over 200 of the nation’s top college and universities, Lonnie accepted a full athletic scholarship to the University of Illinois where he also had an illustrious career receiving All Big Ten Honors and a long-held record of kicking a game winning 52-year field goal. However, one of his greatest accomplishments was when he persuaded the University’s athletic department to donate one hundred tickets per game to disadvantaged youth in the Champaign-Urbana community. Because of his efforts, he received the” Man and Boy Award” the top award given by the state of Illinois Boys and Girls Clubs. Lonnie studied sociology and social work, completing his field study at Cunningham Boy’s Home. where he organized an intramural sports league and mentoring program using fellow athletes, coaches and local businessmen.
He was drafted into the National Football League by the Denver Broncos in 1976. In Denver, he excelled on and off the field where he held leading rushing records his first two years. Although Lonnie played running back, he is probably the only African American place kicker to participate in a Super Bowl.
During his professional career, Lonnie also played for the Chicago Bears and then came home to play for the Washington Redskins in the same RFK stadium he snuck into as a young boy to watch his favorite who later became his mentor, Bobby Mitchell, play. Mr. Mitchell was a true fan of Lonnie’s and was instrumental in Lonnie attending his alma mater, the University of Illinois, and joining the Redskins. He even arranged for Lonnie to participate in some of the Redskins practices when he was in high school.
Washington, DC was extremely proud of Lonnie and in 1978, then DC Mayor Walter Washington proclaimed July 11, “Lonnie Perrin Day” and extended to him the keys to the city. The love was mutual and at the end of his NFL career, Lonnie returned to Washington D.C. in 1982 where he chose to serve the youth of his beloved community, Kenilworth –Parkside, as the Director of Recreation and Tenant Services which allowed him to give back to his community and provided a platform to improve the quality of life for youth residing in Kenilworth. Described as a pied piper for youth, Lonnie put his all into the betterment of “his Kenilworth Kids” and never stopped believing in and supporting them. Lonnie later served in other capacities with the Prince George’s County Young Fathers Program and the Children’s Rights Council before returning to, and recently retiring from, the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation as a Roving Leader. For more than 28 years he has facilitated employment services, directed recreational activities, and served as mentor to thousands of youth in the District of Columbia.
Lonnie accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior in 1997 joining Antioch Baptist Church in Clinton, MD where he sang in the Men’s Choir and administered an at-risk program for young men. He also oversaw the parental access center where children spent supervised time with their non-custodial parents and where transfers between parents occurred in a monitored environment. He later moved his membership to Mt. Ennon Baptist Church in Clinton where he served in the transportation ministry.
Lonnie is preceded in death by his parents. He leaves to cherish his memory his wife of 38 years, Karen Perrin; his six children; Dawn Cook and LaShawn Thomas (Dwayne) of Washington, DC, Lonni Byrd of Denver, Colorado, Lonnie Perrin, II (Erin) Fort Walton Beach, FL, Marcus Perrin, and India Perrin of Clinton, Maryland; six siblings: Gail Forbes (Greg), Sylvester Brown (Theresa), Robert Brown, Joseph Brown (Jennifer), Roseland Dunigan (Lynn) all of Maryland and Yvonne Brown of Raleigh, North Carolina; ten grandchildren; two aunts, Barbara Partee and Ethel Horton of Maryland, and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
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9:30am
Viewing
Rock Creek Baptist Church
6707 Woodyard Road
Upper Marlboro, MD 20772
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11am
Celebration of Life
Rock Creek Baptist Church
6707 Woodyard Road
Upper Marlboro, MD 20772
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Interment
Fort Lincoln Cemetery
3401 Bladensburg Road
Brentwood, MD 20722
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