Major William Frank Perl Jr. Retired

Well-travelled Oregon native.
At a moment that still resonates today, on the morning of August 13, 1961, the people of Berlin, Germany awoke to discover that a barbed wire fence had gone up overnight separating East and West Berlin. The barbed wire fence was soon expanded to include cement walls and guard towers. The Berlin Wall would become the most iconic image of the Cold War. President Kennedy responded by activating 150,000 reservists and volunteers like Bill Perl.
After graduating from Medford High School, Bill attended the University of Oregon in 1949, where he joined the Phi Delta Theta fraternity and took part in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC).
During his freshman year, Bill was the manager of the U of O varsity basketball team and spent the season travelling with the team across the USA. He remained a devoted Ducks fan throughout his life.
In 1961, he was commissioned as a 2nd Lt in the USAF and went on to serve 23 years at posts around the world including RAF Brize Norton, England; Grenier AFB, Manchester, New Hampshire; Spangdahlem AFB, Germany; McClellan AFB, Sacramento, California; Hickam AFB, Oahu, Hawaii; and F.E. Warren AFB, Cheyenne, Wyoming. While serving, he received his Master's degree in Public Administration in 1977 from the University of Northern Colorado. Bill retired as a Major in 1979, and he and his family relocated to Lakeside, Oregon where he took up the post of City Recorder.
William "Bill" Perl was born on July 5th 1931 in Medford, Oregon. In 1957, he married Margaret Ripfl and they went on to have three children: William, a technical consultant; Fred, a retired National Park Ranger who was born while Bill was serving in Germany; and Pamela, an equestrian and artist.
In retirement, Bill became a passionate gardener, botanist and civic volunteer to his Oregon coast community. With the assistance of former Oregon House Representative, Peter DeFazio, he adorned the Oregon State and Nation's Capital grounds in Washington DC with his trees. Bill and other volunteers planted the four towering Western Red Cedar trees next to Highway 101 in North Bend in 1982.
Bill was an accomplished pianist with a love of Gershwin and big band songs. As a young man, he performed on local radio and TV. He loved the outdoors and enjoyed trout fishing on Klamath lake where his family had a cabin. Bill was a devout Christian and served as a deacon in the Lakeside Community Presbyterian Church.
Bill was preceded in death by his sister, Marianne Zundel of Medford, OR. Bill is survived by his beloved wife of 66 years, Margaret Perl of Coos Bay, OR; his niece, Robin Stroh of Medford, OR; eldest son, William Perl, III (Natalia Perl) of Vancouver, WA; son, Frederick Perl (Sandi Perl) of Bend, OR; daughter, Pamela Perl (Jeremy Fox) of London, England; granddaughter Isabelle Sayer of London, England; grandson, Carson Perl of Bend, OR; grandson, Nicholas Perl of Vancouver, WA and granddaughter, Marcella Perl of Vancouver, WA.
Bill left a positive impact on his tireless efforts to serve his community, state and nation through his hard work, generosity and determination. May he rest in peace.
Bill passed away peacefully on February 27th 2025, aged 93. A funeral service will be held at 1pm, Saturday, March 22 at the Coos Bay Chapel, 685 Anderson Avenue in Coos Bay, Oregon.
Arrangements are under the care of Coos Bay Chapel, 541-267-3131. Family and friends are invited to sign the online guestbook at www.coosbayareafunerals.com
To send flowers
to the family or plant a tree
in memory of Major William Frank Perl Jr. USAF Retired, please visit our floral store.