Herald Dean Perry – Obituary

Herald Dean Perry, 83, of Florence, died March 14, 2017 in Pensacola Beach, Florida, after a brief illness.

He was born in Gadsden, Alabama on Jan. 7, 1934. He graduated from Gadsden High School in 1952 and served as a U.S. Army Corporal in the Korean War. While stationed in Seoul, South Korea and Okinawa, Japan, he served in the Army Military Police and was a crack pitcher for the U.S. Army Softball Team. Upon his return to Gadsden, he worked as a mail carrier for the U.S. Post Office and was a supervisor at the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. While working full-time and raising a family, he attended night school at Jacksonville State University, graduating in 1962 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics.

His interest in photography began as a part-time hobby but would quickly grow into his life’s passion. In 1974, he relocated from Gadsden to Sheffield to establish a full-service studio that would become Dean Perry Photography. During his 45 years as a professional photographer, his skill and artistic eye captured hundreds of thousands of smiling faces, from school portraits to proms, weddings, and family reunions. With his wife and business partner Martha, he also operated two successful sister companies: Tiny Tot Portraits, specializing in kindergarten portraiture, and Broadway Frame & Gallery.

Survivors include his loving wife of 61 years, Martha Hudson Perry, of Pensacola Beach; children Brooke (Anna) Perry, of Russellville, Clark (Jill Blotegovel) Perry, of Los Angeles, and daughter, Deborah Lambert Friedman, of Pensacola Beach.

He is also survived by a brother, Grady Perry, Jr., of Sandy Springs, Georgia; grandchildren, Dee Lambert, of Pensacola; Ian & Olivia Perry, of Florence; Nicholas Miller, of Florence; Keaton Grace Perry, of Los Angeles; Aria Marie Perry, of Russellville; and his great-grandchildren, Logan Thomas Moore, of Pensacola, and Todd Michael Miller, of Ann Arbor, Michigan.

He was preceded in death by a daughter, Allyson Joanna Perry; and his parents, Alma Perry, of Gadsden, and Grady Perry, of St. Petersburg, Florida.

He was a member of Masonic Lodge 846 in Glencoe, Alabama, and the National Rifle Association.

Burial will be Saturday, March 25, 2017, at 2 p.m, at Crestwood Funeral Home in Gadsden, Alabama. Honorary pallbearers will be his loving grandchildren and great-grandchildren.The family will announce a memorial service to be held in Florence, Alabama at a future date.

The family would like to thank the kind and loving staff at Keestone of Florence, Amedisys Home Health Care, and Covenant Hospice.

In lieu of flowers, donations in his name may be made to Covenant Hospice, 5041 North 12th Avenue, Pensacola, FL 32504, or to the Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758517, Topeka, KS 66675-8517.