Thomas (Tom) Perry, 73, passed away peacefully on Oct. 25 after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease.
Mr. Perry is beloved to his wife of 47 years, Kathy; three remarkable children: daughter Maria (Butch) Allen, son Chris (Gena), son Michael (Brittney); and two doting granddaughters, Perry and Maisie Allen.
Also surviving Mr. Perry are his sisters, Elizabeth (Rob) Robinson, Janet (Bill) Weidmann, Julia (John) DeWaal, and Eileen (Jim) Haley; an uncle, Father Bob Perry, OP; 26 nieces and nephews; and more extended family and friends than can be listed.
Mr. Perry lived a life of service, first and always to the Church, where he volunteered in nearly every layperson role, from altar boy to director of the confirmation program at St. John Neumann Church in Farragut.
Mr. Perry enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard and later became an officer specializing in hazardous materials. He worked to help develop the program for the hazardous materials cleanup in Oak Ridge.
As a father, he was an enthusiastic supporter of his children’s endeavors, cheering on cross country and track meets, becoming a Scoutmaster in his sons’ troop, an official for the kids’ swim meets, assistant coach in baseball, and the loudest audience member at his daughter’s theater productions. As a loving husband, he achieved the nearly impossible feat of never forgetting his anniversary or Valentine’s Day as he and Kathy were one and the same.
Mr. Perry was an adventurer and enjoyed nontraditional ways of travel. He hitchhiked from Ohio to Alaska to work on the Alaska Railroad. He sailed with his parents to the Bahamas, inspiring him to build his own 20-foot sailboat, on which he proudly sailed family and friends around Fort Loudoun Lake.
Mr. Perry, who was an avid hiker, hiked all 900 miles of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park trail system and had decades of annual hiking adventures along the Appalachian Trail with his friends. He shared his love of adventure with his family on camping trips across Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and the American west. He loved scuba diving and saw undersea wonders from Florida to Palau.
After retiring from his work in environmental compliance at K-25 in Oak Ridge, Mr. Perry rode his bicycle solo from Oregon to Virginia, and completed two Ironman triathlons and dozens of other multisport adventure races from New Zealand to Alaska. On one of his final adventures, he took his 5-year-old granddaughter on an overnight bike-packing trip down the Virginia Creeper Trail.
Mr. Perry’s current plans include flexing his new wings and catching up with his parents, Thomas E. and Mary Catherine Perry, and sister Katy in heaven.
A funeral Mass for Mr. Perry was celebrated on Oct. 30 at St. John Neumann Church.
Donations in Mr. Perry’s memory can be made to Alzheimer’s Tennessee or Friends of the Smokies.
