BLACKMAN TWP., MI – Michael Perdue was always the friendliest and calmest person in the room.

It didn’t matter if he was at home with his wife LaTonia and their nine children, born in the 28 years they were together, or surrounded by hardened felons as a corrections officer at Jackson’s G. Robert Cotton Correctional Facility.

“He never got angry about anything,” said Cary Johnson, a friend and 25-year co-worker. “He was always calm. If he liked you, he liked you. If he didn’t like you, he still liked you.”

Perdue never indicated there was anything troubling him before Jan. 18, when family members said they found him dead inside his truck – the garage door open and the engine running.

He was 45 years old. His death, ruled a suicide, was a gut punch.

“Nothing felt real,” his wife said. “The day before (his death) he took the kids to the YMCA and bought them slushies on the way home.”

Perdue’s family and co-workers gathered Tuesday, March 12, at the flagpole outside the Cotton Facility to honor his life and 25 years of service. His wife and children wiped away tears as the Michigan Department of Corrections Honor Guard lowered the flag, folded it and presented it to them.

Sadly, this is the fourth time the honor guard has been called to Cotton in two years.

Perdue’s family and friends hope that by talking openly about what happened they can bring attention to the issues facing corrections officers and prevent others from taking their lives.

“He was the last person you would think would kill himself,” said Steve Hammond, a friend and co-worker. “We’re hoping he’s the last colleague we lose. People need to know how stressful our jobs are.”

Warden Kevin Lindsey acknowledged working in a prison is inherently a stressful job, adding that the MDOC has mental health programs in place to help.

“We’re looking into working with Lifeways (Community Mental Health) to provide more services,” Lindsey said. “We’d like to go above and beyond our existing resources to help the officers.”

Since being named Correctional Officer of the Year in 2017, Johnson has been researching what she said is under-recognized “correctional fatigue.” Her goal is to secure needed services for affected officers.

Prisoners will prey upon the self-esteem and weaknesses of the men and women who work within the fences, Johnson said. She said she sees the way the negative prison environment can wear on them.

“Many of us are much different in here than how we are at home,” Johnson said.

Given his positive demeanor, Perdue didn’t fit the mold of someone at risk of suicide, his family said. There wasn’t a family event, a child’s basketball game or a play he missed.

“He had a heart of gold and never complained about anything,” said Mariah Perdue, 28, his oldest daughter. “All he asked of us growing up was get good grades and be good people. He wanted his children to live good lives, have good moral character and kill people with kindness.”

Perdue worked hard every day to make sure his family was happy and taken care of, Mariah Perdue said.

When she mentioned she was looking for a new pair of shoes during an idle conversation, it didn’t take him long to find dozens of coupons and ads for shoe sales, she said.

That kind of support carried over to his job, where every week Perdue would write a motivational note for prisoners and post it on a window for them to read, his co-workers said.

His last note still hangs there today.

“Don’t miss out on something that could be great just because it could be something difficult,” it reads.

Those experiencing thoughts of suicide can get help from the 24-hour National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Military veterans press #1.