Thomas Edsel Perry

1926 - 2019

Thomas Edsel Perry

Anderson - He would always joke that being born into a family of six brothers and two sisters was a serious challenge to finding a place at the table (or anywhere else for that matter). Born on July 12, 1926, the youngest child to John Henry and Artie Ayers, Thomas soon began to make his mark in life. Determined to keep up with his older siblings, he played high school basketball and baseball with his buddies and brothers in the Gluck Mill community (which he claimed as home no matter how many cities he lived in during his lifetime). On Sundays you would find the Perry family at the church which one week practiced the Methodist faith and the next Baptist. It was here in Gluck Mill that he met his lifetime sweetheart, Betty Jean Whitten, but their budding courtship was interrupted when the US Army called him up to serve on the front lines in Germany during World War II. It was a time in his life that Thomas never spoke of as he said it was a time of humanity at its very worst. When he returned from the war, he attended Anderson College for one year and then transferred to Clemson College to complete his bachelor's degree. He got a career job in the textile industry, married his high school sweetheart, and they began to live their life together.

Thomas had many titles in his lifetime, but his favorites were husband to Betty for 67 years, father to Tom Perry (Donna) and Cathy Balkcom (Robert), and Pop to Meghan Perry, Melody Cook (Josh), and Marissa Balkcom. Every moment of every day he poured himself into life - teaching his children the games of tennis and golf; attending countless dance recitals and church events for his granddaughters; serving as deacon and Sunday School teacher in his church; and above all, loving us despite our many weaknesses. He was our lifeline, our sympathetic ear, our rock. And he shared all that he was with those in his world.

But life dealt him many blows - he suffered the loss of his mother and father and all of his siblings; his sweet baby boy, Tom, succumbed to cancer a few years ago; his precious wife Betty took her place in God's kingdom earlier this year; and, he has battled with dementia for these past several years. But even in the depths of this cruel and horrific disease, Thomas would sing his praises to his Lord and God and so made the world around him a brighter place. On July 5th, he sang his last song to us here on earth and joined the congregation of his family and friends in heaven. We can still hear his songs in our hearts, the echoes of the words in our souls. We miss his sweet smile, his words of encouragement, his love that touched every fiber of our lives. And, we wait for that day when we will add our voice to his and all our loved ones.

A celebration of his life will be held Friday, July 12, 11:00am at The McDougald Funeral Home followed by graveside services at Forest Lawn Memorial Park. The family will receive friends from 9:30am until 11:00am before the service.

In lieu of flowers and in honor and memory of Thomas Perry, donations may be made to: Newberry Academy, 2055 Smith Road, Newberry, SC 29108 with designation of Tom Perry Scholarship Fund. Or to: Forest Hill Baptist Church, 909 Plantation Road, Anderson, SC 29621.

WWW.MCDOUGALDFUNERALHOME.COM