June 2, 2010

A graveside service for William J. Perry MD, 93, a former resident of Hartselle, was Tue., June 8, at 11 a.m. at Cedar Grove Cemetery in Williamsburg. Va.
Dr. Perry died Wed., June 2, in Williamsburg, Va. He was born July 17, 1917, in  Michigan and grew up in a small mining town in California where he worked underground as a gold miner for several summers to pay for his education.
He was commissioned in the U.S. Naval Reserve prior to the onset of World War II and was ordered to the Naval Hospital in Washington, D.C. where he was assigned to the teaching staff in the Department of Tropical Medicine. He was subsequently transferred to the new Naval Hospital in Bethesda, Md.
It was at this point in time that the nucleus of the Malaria and Epidemic Disease Control unit for the South Pacific was formed. Dr. Perry served with this unit in a new assignment on Admiral Halsey’s staff during the war in the Pacific.
His other assignment included duty at the Naval Medical Research Lab at Camp Lejeune and two tours of duty with the Office of Naval Research. One assignment was at the American Embassy in London as science officer for the Navy.
Upon reassignment to the Personnel Division of the Medical Department of the Navy, he headed the newly organized Allied Science Section of the MCS Corps.
Dr. Perry practiced for many years in Alexandria, Va. and Hartselle as a family physician and spent 15 years on the faculty of William and Mary College as student health physician.
His practice covered some 50 years during which time he was a contributing author to two medical texts and author of several medical and scientific articles.
He was a member of Alpha Zeta scholastic society at the University of California and a member of Alpha Omega Alpha honorary scholastic society, Duke University School of Medicine.
He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Audrey Perry; children, Nena  L. Perry  (Dan Purtzer). `William John Perry Jr., (Jeanne Louise), Richard L. Perry, Aimee P. Siegel (Davis) and grandchildren, William Purtzer, Andrea Purtzer, Jessie Perry and Bryon Perry.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Barker Foundation, 7979 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda, Md. 20814 or the Williamsburg Presbyterian Church.