Sheila Maria Perkins, 56, of Atlantic, Iowa, died Sunday, August 16, 2026, in Atlantic after a 4.5 year battle with cancer.

The funeral service will be held on Monday, August 24 at 10:30 AM, at Gass Haney Funeral Home with Pastor Randy Longacre officiating. Private family interment. Visitation will be on Sunday from 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM and continue on Monday from 9:30 AM until service time, all at the funeral home. Memorials are to be directed to the wishes of the family. Her favorite color was purple, so purple attire is welcomed.

Sheila was born December 28, 1969, in Columbus, Nebraska, to Dennis and Rita (Rice) Perkins. At age five the family moved to Platte Center, Nebraska. Sheila attended Platte County District 10 Grade School, earned her GED, went on to obtain her bachelor's degree and finally two master’s degrees in criminal psychology from Purdue University.

Sheila worked in Norfolk, Nebraska at the Well and the Liberty Center. After moving to Omaha, she began working at CenterPointe Campus for Home as a substance abuse counselor. She lived by “her rules” or “no rules”. Sheila had a heart of gold and took great pride in helping her clients. She enjoyed Karaoke and the tv series “Survivor” and had a large collection of Bob Dylan memorabilia.

Sheila is survived by:
Son – Robert Waite and grandson Parker of Norfolk, NE
Son – Jesse Perkins of Norfolk, NE
Son – Tyler (Polly) Perkins-Seymour and grandson Gregory of Clear Spring, MD
Sister – Melaney (Brian) Reeg of Platte Center, NE
Brother – Rev. Ben (Dulsey) Perkins of Sergeant Bluff, IA
Sister – Rebecca (Brett) Manak of Columbus, NE
Sister – Teresa Jaikie of Des Moines, IA
Aunt – Karen Swoboda of Coumbus, NE
Aunt – Beth Rice of Columbus, NE
Many nieces, nephews and cousins

Sheila was preceded in death by:
Father – Dennis Perkins
Mother – Rita Perkins
Brother – Randy Perkins
Grandparents – Hubert and Virginia Perkins and Myron and Lois Rice
Aunt – Sandra Simmer
Uncle - Gary Perkins