Obituary
William R. Perry, beloved husband, father, brother, uncle & friend, peacefully passed away on March 6, 2026, at age of 85 surrounded by his loved ones.
Born on February 16, 1941, in Oregon City, Oregon to Raymond “Pat” & Marie Christine “Addie” Perry. Bill grew up in Brightwood, Oregon and spent any chance he could at his Grandparent’s farm in Estacada. He graduated from Sandy High School in 1959. After graduation, he went to work in the woods for Brightwood Logging Company until being drafted into the Army in October of 1963. He was sent to Fort Ord, California for basic training then transferred to Fort Lewis, Washington where he served until early release in 1965 to head home to farm. His love for farm developed from time spent at this grandparent’s place in Estacada.
November 28, 1969 Bill married the love of his life, Kelly Perry. Fall of 1970 they moved into The Miller place and made it their home. Bill Farmed and Kelly taught school until November 11, 1970 when their son, Will was born. Kelly became a mother, home maker, & farm wife. July 2, 1973 the family was complete when Marcia was born.
Bill continued to build Perry Farms raising Grass seed and hay while also taking on side jobs working for William Tucker farming and operating the seed cleaning mill , occasionally working in the woods to supplement the farm. Over the years the grass seed fields were planted to hay and Christmas trees.
Bill was a founding charter member of the Estacada Lions Clubs in 1967. A member until the club dissolved around 2023/2024 and Bill transferred to the Sandy Lions. He assisted in helping the community to ensure those who were in need, received eye glasses and hearing aids. Bill was not one to be in the spotlight, always one behind the scenes. He happily volunteered for many work party projects from cutting firewood, building picnic tables, helping with BINGO, refurbishing pallets, and the Jack White memorial golf tournament, to name a few. Bill received many awards for his dedication to Lions, one being the prestigious Melvin Jones award. Bill was also a member of the Oregon City Elks Club and Estacada Moose Lodge. He passed along his passion of Farming and Agriculture by helping out the Estacada FFA chapter and High School Agriculture classes over the years.
Bill is survived by Kelly, his devoted loving wife of 56 years, his son, Will Perry, daughter, Marcia Perry (Kris Kelly), his sister, Sue Haase, brother Jack Perry (Michelle), his nieces Cheryl Reed (Billy) and Annie Haase and great niece Tina Reed and great nephew Ben Reed.
A Celebration of Life will be held May 2nd from 1-4 pm (Army Flag presentation at 1:30).
Location: Helmig’s Red Barn 24920 S. Metzler Park Rd Estacada, OR 97023
Please join us for a potluck to celebrate Bill’s life and memories.
Donations
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Bill's memory to following:
Estacada FFA Alumni PO Box 902 Estacada, OR 97023
Sandy Lions Club PO Box 1422 Sandy, OR 97055