Name: Memorial service for Perry J. Need
Start: 2017-07-02T17:00:00.000Z
End: 2017-07-02T19:00:00.000Z
Location: Aaron-Ruben-Nelson Mortuary (A.R.N. Cremation) - Zionsville

Perry J. Need

64, was born in Brazil, IN to Ovid Eugene and Virginia Lorene (Crouch) Need. He was a star athlete at Greenwood High School, Class of 1971, and received his BA from Wabash College in 1975.

He proudly served his country for 12 years with the Indiana National Guard, achieving the rank of Captain as a member of the 38th Infantry Division serving as an Adjutant General Officer.

To satisfy his inquisitive nature Perry had numerous professions, including working as a certified welder at Chicago Bridge & Iron and as a certified gemologist. He entered the IT industry at Computer Sciences Corp. at Fort Harrison and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. He was Vice President of Ventura Technology International and most recently a Database Administrator for Citizen's Energy Group.Perry was an active member of his community and particularly enjoyed score keeping with Naptown Roller Derby and line judging for North Central High School's Rugby team.

Perry lived a literary life. He was a voracious reader, avid historian, and wordsmith who enjoyed sharing choice quotes with his family. Perry liked jamming to jazz and blues, the Grateful Dead, and imitating Elvis every chance he got. The King officiated his wedding. Perry was a nurturing naturalist, bird feeder, and amateur squirrel behaviorist. Perry stayed active by cycling and swimming, and believed in the restorative powers of a good stretch. Throughout his life he had a curious and open mind and appreciated innovations in all forms- from willow walls to radiant floor heat to tech gadgets.

Perry is survived by his wife Nancy (Brown-Courville) Need and their children - Callie Lorene Need (Chris French), Meagan Elizabeth Need (Alex Williams), Althea Need Bauernschmidt (Tim Kaminske), AJ Courville, Chris Courville, and Lorene Need Bauernschmidt (Sean McHenry). He is also survived by his mother-in-law Marilyan M. Brown; brother Richard A. Need and wife Darlene, siblings; and dear friend Jim Bowden.

He never gave up and fought bravely against his illness since October, 2011. #CancerWarrior.

A memorial gathering will be on Sunday, July 2nd from 1-3 p.m. at A.R.N. Funeral and Cremation Services, 11411 N. Michigan Rd., Zionsville. A celebration of Perry's life will be held by his loved ones at a later time. Friends and family may leave a message of condolence by visiting the online obituary at arnmortuary.com.

In lieu of flowers gifts should be made payable to GU Research and Education Fund (I380009873) and mailed to:IU Simon Cancer Center, c/o IU FoundationPO Box 7072, Indianapolis, IN 46207-7072

"The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts." - Marcus Aurelius

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by The Indianapolis Star on Jul. 2, 2017.

Memories and Condolences
for Perry Need

16 Entries

Debbie Donahue

July 18, 2017

I worked closely with Perry for a few years at HJ and we traveled together during that time to many classes and conferences. Perry was always exciting to travel with. My first ride on Space Mountain was with Perry at Disneyland after a long day of Oracle classwork. Perry was so proud of his girls and frequently shared their current achievements, activities and future plans. He lived large and was a positive influence to so many. I especially enjoyed the quote in his obituary - "The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts." - Marcus Aurelius

It was a joy to work alongside Perry and his positive outlook.

Carla Happel

July 10, 2017

I am so saddened to hear of Perry's passing. I didn't know him well, but always thoroughly enjoyed our encounters at Herff. He could be counted on for a lot of smiling and laughing, and was a bright spot in the day. A very special person who always had something interesting to say, I looked forward to running into him. I will always remember his stories about the Naptown Roller Girls, and smile.

Marla Mitchell

July 7, 2017

Dear Nancy, family, and friends - I am so very sorry for your loss and my heart breaks for you.
It was such a joy to see Perry come in to work in the mornings (always with a smile) and later in the afternoons for his breaks here at CEG. We always had wonderful talks. Early on, I told him I could not believe someone with his stature could fit in a Smart Car! He just laughed and told me of the benefits of his car. Sometimes, when I would walk the parking lot to get my steps in I would see him just arriving. He always welcomed my company and we would chat as we walked in to work together. Later, I was amazed he kept coming to work even as his health deteriorated. Truthfully, I was in awe of his dedication to work, to life, and how he never complained. What an inspiration to all. His friendship was a blessing for me and one I will always cherish. I wish for all his loved ones and friends much peace and love.

Kenya Logan

July 6, 2017

Dear Nancy and family, May God bless and keep your family during this time and always. Perry was a true pleasure to work with and he will be missed dearly. He was a very inspiring man and I am so grateful to have known him.

Jodi Whitney

July 6, 2017

We appreciate Perry's dedication to Citizens. He worked much longer than most would have considering his situation. His obituary was a wonderful tribute and added more context for those that did not get to know him well. Thank you and prayers for your family.

Bobbie Piell

July 5, 2017

Dear Nancy:
I'm a friend of Mom's and she's been filling me in on Perry's health and I was so sad to see her message today. My deepest condolences to you, your family and Perry's family. I understand he was a really great guy and I'm very sorry for your loss. My words are meaningless in many ways but I wanted you to know my heart goes out to you.

Bobbie Piell

Pat Pierce

July 4, 2017

Perry was one of the best educated, most interesting people I've ever met. He always had a unique perspective on life and he didn't mind sharing his point of view. I missed talking to him after I left Herff Jones. I will always remember him fondly. My condolences to Perry's family.

Henry Yee

July 3, 2017

I do have one more note in remembrance of Perry J. Need. While at Herff Jones, he and I were teammates in the Indianapolis Walking Club. I believe both of us reached the ten year level, many years near the top of accumulating laps amongst teams. I think one year we were runner-ups in team lap count.

But what I really wanted to convey is Perry was not the fastest at walking the track lap. Reason is, everyone knew Perry would intentionally walk slowly to enjoy the walk, many times stopping to watch birds or talk with other Herffies. But he always finished his team lap goal, plus some. That was typical PJNeed!

Henry Yee
Gooseberry Sidestepper teammate

Matt Burton

July 3, 2017

You will not meet a finer human being than Perry Need. I feel blessed to have called him a friend.

July 3, 2017

Condolences to the family. We knew Perry well years ago when he stayed with us in St. Louis and when I stayed with him and Karen when Althea was born. He was a good man and we enjoyed his company. Our prayers for him and the family.
Great Aunt of Althea and Lorene, Melitta, & Jim Luca

Betsy Smith

July 3, 2017

I did not know Perry well, but always enjoyed chatting with him in the break room or around the building at Herff Jones. He always had a smile on his face and was genuinely interested in others. He is missed.

Katie Hensley

July 3, 2017

Although I don't remember ever meeting Perry, I certainly heard a lot about him. Bill(Hensley)told me when his last class reunion happened that he wondered if Perry came and if he did that would be something he would be sorry he missed. Bill was taking chemo at that time and unfortunately passed away in 2011. He had nothing but good things to say about his teammate and friend. Perhaps they are having a reunion now. Regards, Katie Hensley

Henry Yee

July 2, 2017

Hello, Need family and friends. My name is Henry Yee. I worked alongside with and as a manager of Perry at Herff Jones for 13 years in the Corporate Database Administration department, from the late 1990's to the early 2010's. We supported the divisions' implementations of Oracle EBS Distribution and Manufacturing Suites, he even more involved with PeopleSoft HRMS. Perry is one of the most unique, fun-loving and seemingly happy-go-lucky individuals I have ever known. Many times I found him reading books during break times, drinking home-made healthy blended juice concoctions that were colored pea-green, and munching on more healthy foods like various nut mixes. Perry was a dedicated IT professional and he achieved his delivery goals no matter what the unexpected distraction or workload. He was reliable all the while insightful with people, personalities, and corporate culture.

But what I remember most of Perry was his affinity for f.u.n.! He won the Halloween pumpkin carving contest (somewhere there's a picture of him with his pumpkin), rode his pedal-bike to work many days, and his tales of visiting the Indiana State Fair with family in curious search of 'oddities' with humorous, entertaining intent. Yes, Perry had the smallest auto in the parking lot, one of those 2-seater Smart Cars which he proudly displayed and drove as an indication of his individuality. And another thing, Perry was a very good listener. He really paid attention to what others said, and he was careful in his own word selection. You could tell he was very learned in literary works.

I am pleased to have known Perry, he is one of those few people you hope to encounter in life that just makes you look at life from a different angle, a more light-hearted one. Your post of Perry's photo is very fitting, he was most always smiling, even in the face of adversity.

So happy to have known Perry J. Need. He will be missed.

Sincerely,
Henry Yee

Jon Gabany

July 2, 2017

I'm sorry to hear about Perry's passing. He was a great guy to know and work with. He was very insightful, and managed to put a twist of humor in most of his conversations. After every conversation I had with Perry, I either came away with a smile or learned something new (or both).

Joe Dillmon

July 2, 2017

To the Need family, I'm so sorry to hear of Perry's passing. My name is Joe Dillmon and I'm a computer operator with Citizens. I worked with Perry at CEG and he was a wonderful guy to work with. I shared common interests in that we both were almost 6 1/2 ft tall, drive a Prius, had interests in Volvos and Smart Four/Two cars, although Perry did have a beautiful Volvo Cross County and previously had a Smart car. I just have my blue 2010 Prius w/217,576 miles and still going!! Perry was amazed by that when we conversed. He used to tell me he shopped for large size shoes from Zappos.com and I told him I'm a Titanium tier member of Zappos!!! I used to get Food Truck messages when they were available at Channel 8's parking lot and he would tell me they're here outside his window overlooking Channel 8's parking lot. It will be difficult to return to work and know Perry's not with us anymore but I know he is in a better place now not suffering from his illness. Perry, you were a great friend and pal. I'm glad I had the opportunity to meet you.
Joe Dillmon

Joe Slaughter

July 2, 2017

Perry was a delightful unique man. It was a pleasure to be on his team at Herff Jones. He always had a smile and a kind work. He was liked and respected by all. When the company dedicated a new flag pole, Perry lead the 400 campus employees in the Pledge of Allegince.. we are better people for having known Perr

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