Marion JoNell Perley

Funeral services for Marion JoNell Perley, 86, of Garrison will be held at 2:00pm on Saturday, October 18, 2025, at Garrison First Baptist Church officiated by Bro. Wade Eadie. Interment will follow at Caledonia Cemetery. A visitation will be held prior to the service from 1:30pm to 2:00pm on Saturday, October 18, 2025, at Garrison First Baptist Church. Mrs. Perley passed away on Wednesday, October 15, 2025, in Nacogdoches. She was born on August 28, 1939, in Pontiac, Michigan, to the late Gerald Dean and Jewel Daisy (Hopper) Thompson.
With deep love and gratitude, we celebrate the life of Marion Jo-Nell Perley, known to most as Jo-Nell. Born in Pontiac, Michigan, Jo-Nell lived a life of devotion-to her faith, her family, and her community. She passed away peacefully in Garrison, Texas, at the age of 86.
Jo-Nell met and married the love of her life, Herbert "Herb" Perley, in Hawthorne, California. They spent 30 joyful years there, raising their children and building a home filled with love, laughter, and faith. During those years, Jo-Nell faithfully served as pianist for Calvary Baptist Church in Hawthorne, where her music became a cherished part of worship and fellowship.
After retirement, Jo-Nell and Herb moved to Garrison, Texas, where they continued their journey together for many more wonderful years. She continued sharing her musical gifts at First Baptist Church of Garrison and brought joy to the residents and staff through sing-alongs at the Garrison Nursing Home.
Jo-Nell was a devoted wife for 67 years, a loving mother, and a homemaker in the truest sense. Her kitchen was a place of warmth and tradition, where blackberry and peach cobbler and homemade ice cream became symbols of family togetherness-traditions that continue today.
She was known for her sweetness, generosity, and unwavering care for others. Jo-Nell was the glue that held her family close and a role model of Christian motherhood. Her legacy lives on in the values she instilled and the love she gave so freely.
To her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, she was lovingly known as Nana-a name that carried warmth, comfort, and unconditional love. Her presence in their lives was a constant source of joy, and her memory will forever be cherished.
She is survived by her husband, Herbert Perley; daughter; Glynda Smith and husband, Ken; son, David Perley and wife, Donna; grandchildren, Kyle Smith and wife, Lindsay, Jonathan Smith and wife, Leah, Sarah Horton and husband, Ryan, Megan Bellamy and husband, Brandon, Jason Perley and wife, Lindsey; seven great-grandchildren and one on the way; sister, Karen Hubbard and husband, Butch, and nephew, Jerrold Hubbard.
Jo-Nell loved each and every one of them deeply and was endlessly proud of her family.
Her presence will be profoundly missed, but her spirit will continue to resonate in the lives of those she touched.
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