Mount Ayr Record-News
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa
Thursday, September 05, 2022
OBITUARY ~ SUSAN ATHALIE PERRY
Susan Athalie PERRY was born to Philip G. and Cassie V. WAYMAN HENDERSON in Gentry, Missouri on July 23, 1931.
Her father served as postmaster and rural carried in Gentry while her mother was a substitute postal clerk and a seamstress. Susan was a middle child of five. She had one brother Loran and three sisters, Betty Jane, Rose and Vicki. Her father, being a music lover, bought a piano when Susan was five or six years old. She loved it from the start and insisted on taking lessons, which she did for several years.
Susan accepted Jesus as her Savior when she was a teenager while attending the Christian Church in Gentry and was baptized in a mental tub baptismal. The weather was so cold on the day of her baptism that there was ice floating on the water.
Susan started playing for church as a teenager and also accompanied solos, small groups and large groups through her four years of high school at Gentry and Albany high schools. After graduation, she attended Saint Joseph Junior College for one year and then began teaching in one-room country schools. Three years later, she moved back to Saint Joseph and worked a factory job during the day while attending Platt Business College at night, which resulted in employment in the accounting department of Swift & Col.
In 1955, Susan married James E. AVITT of Saint Joseph. Two sons were born to this union: Michael Emerson in 1956 and Mark Andrew in 1958. Mr. AVITT was enlisted in the Navy which gave them the opportunity to travel extensively, living in several cities on both coasts of the United States and spending one winter in Morocco.
After her sons started school, Susan went back to work, first at the Bureau of Naval Weapons in Sunnyvale, California, then at the main station of the San Diego Post Office. In 1966, Susan and the boys moved back to Gentry where Susan recovered from serious health problems and worked at a diagonistic clinic for mentally and physically disabled children in Albany, Missouri. Susan and James AVITT divorced in 1968.
Susan met Merrill PERRY on a blind date in 1969 and they were married the next summer. Merril had two children, Lesa and David. The children's ages at the time of their marriage were 11, 12, 13 and 16.
After her marriage and move to Mount Ayr, Iowa, Susan started giving piano lessons. She also play piano and then organ at church, accompanied soloists at church and school, played for weddings and funeral and for community activities. One of the highlights of her musical career happened in the spring of 1974 when she and her sisters Vicki were privileged to play a two-piano number at the Ringgold Singers concert. December of 1994 saw another musical highlight when she accompanied the community theatre group in their performance of Menotti's light opera "Amahl and the Night Visitors." From 1995 to 1998, she accompanied the Mount Ayr Community high school choir and soloists and small ensembles in the vocal department.
In 1979, Susan became the executive director of Heritage Park Apartments at Kellerton. She loved this job and continued with the Mount Ayr project until 1994.
In 1980, Merrill and Suand agreed to raise their two oldest grandchildren, Cale and Cody COUTS. They lived with Merrill and Susan until they graduated from high school in the early 90s.
In the summers of 1994, Susan had her first heart attack, and her health went downhill for a while. Being a fighters, Susan came back from this set back with the help from her faith in her Lord, lots of prayer and good nutrition. She cared for people and tried to help them whenever she could. She supported several charities with Birthright being one of her favorite organizations.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband and three nephews. She is survived by her four children, seven grandchildren, one brother, three sisters and many friends.
Funeral services were held at 11:00 a.m. in Friday, August 30, 2002 at Wilson-Watson & Armstrong Funeral Home in Mount Ayr with Reverend Charles WEIMAN officiating. Musicians were Nancy SACKETT, Mary TRULLINGER and Margaret BICKERS. Casket bearers were Sean AVITT, Caleb COUTS, Cody COUTS, Adam NURI, Samiyra NURI and Larry GILLESPIE.
Susan was laid to rest in the Rose Hill Cemetery, Mount Ayr.
Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, September of 2012
Ringgold Obituaries maintained by Tony Mercer.
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