July 10, 1930 – Jan. 16, 2012

Our family is deeply saddened by the death of our beloved husband, father, grandfather and uncle, Richard Charlton Perry. He died of leukemia on Jan. 16, 2012.

Rickard (Dick, as he was known to his friends) was born on July 10, 1930, in Brooklyn, N.Y. He briefly attended Flatbush public schools and then he and his brother were enrolled in Ridley College, a private secondary school in Toronto, Canada. Dick graduated from Colgate University, where he was a member and president of the DKE fraternity. In 1953, he was drafted into the U.S. Army and, because of his height and athletic ability, was selected to play basketball for the armed forces in Europe during the Korean War.

When his tour of duty was over, Dick returned to Brooklyn to begin his career. In the summer of 1958, he met his wife-to-be, Eileen Gai Raleigh, at his brother’s wedding in New York City. Dick was the best man and Gai was the maid of honor and the bride’s best friend. Six months later, Dick and Gai were married at the quaint “Little Church Around the Corner” in Manhattan.

In 1959, both the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants had already relocated to the West Coast. As chance would have it, Willie Mays needed somebody to drive his Cadillac across the country to San Francisco. Dick and Gai answered the ad and enjoyed their honeymoon as they drove the “Say Hey Kid’s” car across the country to start their new life in The City by the Bay.

About the same time, Merrill Lynch was looking for hot young prospects to fill a new office in Oakland. Dick answered the call and spent the next 40-plus years as a stockbroker, first in Oakland and leter in the Walnut Creek office.

Dick loved his work, but first and foremost he was a family man. He adored his two sons and took an active role in their upbringing. He was a Cub Scout leader and coached LMYA Basketball. He liked nothing better than playing ball with his kids. Since his retirement in 2003, Dick and his wife have made their home in Davis.

Dick is survived by his wife Gai; his sons, Rich and Bruce; his grandchildren, Carly, Brenna and Hank; and his nieces, Lisa, Lana and Linda and their children, Eric, Faye, Bryan and Chellan.

The family held a private celebration of life on Sunday, Jan. 22. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the American Cancer Society.

Comments

comments