Brother Robert Perry passed away to the Chapter Eternal on Thursday evening, April 30, 2009. He was 58 years old. Perry was a recent alumni initiate to the Gamma Phi chapter and the first wheelchair-bound man to go through the Ritual at the University of South Alabama.
Robert lead the Children's Rehabilitation Engineering Team of Mobile (CRET) and the chapter first met up with him in the Summer of 2008. Brother Jay Hunt contacted Perry after seeing the CRET website. After several long conversations, Jay concluded that Robert and CRET were a perfect match for the community service efforts of Gamma Phi.
"Robert was building play units for the severly handicapped before he even knew about PUSH," Jay Hunt said. "After sharing the vision of Pi Kappa Phi and Push America, Robert was more than willing to patiently work with the fraternity and eager to develop a long-term relationship with the chapter in service to the Mobile community."
After working with Perry and the CRET team for a few months building wheelchair ramps and assembling theraputic tricyles, the men voted and asked Robert to become a Pi Kappa Phi. "He was humbled and honored and I could tell it thrilled him to death," Hunt said.
"He was an amazing man," said brother Andrew Schneider. Schneider was serving as Push Chair at the time the chapter began working with Perry. Andrew was able to attend several of the CRET meetings and worked along side Perry and the Alabama Institue for the Deaf and Blind (AIDB) when the chapter helped with a AIDB Technology Fair in October 2008. "He helped a lot of people, a lot of people for many years."
Robert passed away from complications from throat surgery. He will be truly missed. Several of the brothers attended the wake and funeral, including David Shaw, Andrew Schneider, Nick Hall, David Buster, Alex Dumais, Halet Poplin, and Danny Prough.
Donations to CRET were accepted in leu of flowers.
| Robert Mason Perry | ||
| PERRY Robert Mason Perry - a 58 year-old native of Seattle, WA and resident of Mobile passed away at a local hospital on Thursday, April 30, 2009. After graduating Murphy High School in 1970, Mr. Perry joined the United States Army where he became a helicopter pilot and retired in 1980 with the rank of Warrant Officer I. He went on to earn a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of South Alabama in 1987. He then went to work for the Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services where he was responsible for designing, modifying, and implementing facilities and devices for the improvement of the quality of life for those living with handicaps and disabilities. He was a member of Creekwood Church of Christ where he served as a deacon and taught first grade Sunday school. Mr. Perry dedicated his life to making others' lives easier. He will long be remembered and loved by all those knew him, especially his students, for his wonderful sense of humor and ability to enjoy the finer things in life, such as the warmth of the sun or taking children on a trip to the park. Mr. Perry was preceded in death by his son, Douglas A. Perry. He leaves to cherish his memory his beloved wife of 37 years, Marcelle Perry of Mobile; children, Rachel Perry of Mobile, Carolyn Gibson (Sammy) of Jackson, AL, Randall Perry of Irvington, TX, and Amanda Stebbins (Chris) of Mobile; mother, Virginia Perry of Mobile; brothers, Joseph Perry (Sandy) of Carrolton, TX and Frank Perry (Sarah) of Mobile; grandchildren, Katherine Deignan, Sammy Gibson, Samantha Deignan, Charlie Gibson, Victoria Gibson, Christopher Stebbins, Allyson Stebbins, and Austin Stebbins; other relatives and many friends. Funeral services will be held at Creekwood Church of Christ on Tuesday, May 5, 2009, at 10 a.m. The family will receive friends at the church on Monday, May 4, 2009, from 5-8 p.m. Interment will be in Mobile Memorial Gardens. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to Childrens Rehab Engineering Team, 2771 Schillinger Rd. S., Mobile, AL 36695, www.childrensrehabengineeringteam.com, Funeral arrangements by RADNEY FUNERAL HOME, 3155 Dauphin St., Ext., Mobile, AL 36606. | ||