Edward Charles Perko

EDWARD CHARLES PERKO, 92, died on January 29, 2026.  Ed was born in the coal mining town of Shamokin, Pennsylvania on October 23, 1933.  He moved with his family to his beloved Baltimore on his 10th birthday.  As a 1950 graduate of Baltimore Polytechnic Institute in the Advanced College Program, he was able to skip his freshman year at Johns Hopkins University.  He graduated from JHU with a mechanical engineering degree in 1954.  He began his career at Babcock and Wilcox as a field and design engineer, working on a project in Cleveland, Ohio.  

There he met Marilyn Jean Jakubie whom he married on June 1, 1957. Drafted into the U.S. Army, she accompanied him to his deployment at the Pine Bluff Arsenal.  The couple was married for 67 years until her death in June, 2024.

After completing military service, Ed joined Bechtel, where he remained for the next 37 years, earning a reputation not only as an accomplished engineer, but as one who fostered life-long relationships with key clients.  Along the way he earned not only the lasting trust of his clients, but made major contributions to numerous fossil power plants across the country, thrusting Bechtel into a leadership role in the nation’s fossil power industry.  At the company he also was known as an invaluable mentor to aspiring project managers.

His last assignments at Bechtel included business development and marketing of the nuclear power decommissioning area and work at Baltimore Gas and Electric as a project manager.

Upon retirement, Bechtel re-hired him as a consultant for the next 5 years.

Ed and Marilyn moved to Potomac, Maryland in 1962 and resided there since.  The couple enjoyed a winter home in Jupiter, Florida for more than two decades.  They had a passion for travel, especially in Italy, Germany, Spain and Great Britain.

Pastimes for Ed included reading and supporting his sports teams, especially the Baltimore Orioles and Baltimore Colts under quarterback Johnny Unitas. In later years he could be found cheering the Commanders and rooting for the Nationals in Washington, DC and at spring training in Florida.

Services for Ed will be held on Tuesday, February 3, 2026, at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church, 9200 Kentsdale Drive, Potomac, with visitation from 11:00 a.m. until 12:00 noon, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 12:00 noon. Entombment at Gate of Heaven Cemetery will follow.

In lieu of flowers,those desiring may honor Ed with a donation to further the research of Dr. James T. Handa at the Wilmer Eye Institute.  Checks payable to The Wilmer Eye Institute may be sent to the Wilmer Development Office, 600 N. Wolfe Street Wilmer 112, Baltimore, Maryland 21287.  Please designate your contribution to the work of James T. Handa, MD in honor of Ed.  Online contributions to https://secure.jhu.edu/form/wilmer should be designated “other” and noted for the work of James T. Handa, MD Wilmer Eye Institute