Erie Meredith Perry, 89, died peacefully at home in his sleep on December 31, 2020, in Ararat, Virginia. He was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on December 19, 1931, to Erie and Idell Bates Perry, who preceded him in death along with one sister, Shirley Caudle. Perry is survived by his wife of sixty-three years, Betty Hobbs Perry, a son Thomas David Perry, and a brother Joseph A. “Buddy” Perry (Anna) of Belmont, North Carolina. Also surviving are two nephews, Todd and Jonathan, from his brother and two nieces, Patsy King and Joan Vaughan, from his sister.
The Perrys moved to Mount Airy, North Carolina, in the late 1940s to work in the textile mills. Erie graduated from Mount Airy High School, where he played multiple sports, including football, under Coach Wallace Shelton. Perry went to Lees-McRae College and Appalachian State University, where he lettered in three sports baseball, basketball, and football, which allowed him to get a college degree as a true student-athlete.
Perry served in the U. S. Army from 1956 until 1958. During this time, he met Betty Jane Hobbs in Augusta, Georgia, while stationed at Fort Gordon. He won the football picking contest in the Stars and Stripes newspaper while stationed in Germany. The winner received leave and a round trip ticket home, which he used to marry Betty in 1957.
In 1959, Perry began a twenty-eight-year teaching career with the Patrick County, Virginia, School System, starting by teaching at Blue Ridge High School. He received a master’s degree from Radford University and then became Principal at Red Bank Elementary and Blue Ridge Elementary Schools. After retirement, Perry spent several decades as a fixture at White Pines Country Club in Mount Airy, working and playing golf, where he was a single stroke handicapper.
Perry was an ardent supporter of his son’s efforts to preserve Civil War General J. E. B. Stuart’s birthplace and was recognized with a plaque at the site. Perry broadcasted Mount Airy High School football on WSYD with Ronald Johnson for forty years. He was recognized as a member of the Mount Airy Sports Hall of Fame in 2006 with the Granite City Award.
A celebration of life will be held later to fund a scholarship for Patrick County High School students. Contributions can be made to the Perry Family Scholarship at P. O. Box 11, Ararat, VA 24053.
