Wesley "Wes" Lee Perry

Wesley Lee Perry (Wes) entered the gates of heaven on Friday, September 7, 2018. He was born in Follett, TX, on November 24, 1929, and spent most of his childhood living in Adrian, TX, doing farm work. Wes had a lot of adventures, was a prankster and loved helping others. Due to his wanting to quit school and sign up for the military, his mother took him down on their living room floor and made him promise to finish school before joining the service, which he did and thanked her over the years for doing so. Wes graduated from Adrian High School, class of 1949, in a graduating class of eight students. As a football player in high school, he had soccer as a favorite sport, often getting up to set up the fields for Saturday games in La Puente and West Covina areas. In appreciation, Wes was given a full paid limousine trip to Los Angeles, CA, to a professional soccer game for his family. An acknowledgment of his faithfulness was displayed on the scoreboard during the game. In May 1949, Wes joined the Navy and was stationed in San Diego, CA. While visiting his Aunt Helen Keller in Alhambra, CA, she and her neighbor, lla May Hadder, introduced him to his future wife. Wes and lla Joyce Hadder, a native of Roswell, NM, were wed on December 1, 1951. Wes took great pride in the fact that he never smoked or drank. He was a man of service to God, his country and his family. He was a loving and caring father of a tribe of thirteen children, "red and yellow, black and white;" a daddy, grandpa and foster father to twenty-eight foster children. Wes taught his children to not let others define them based on their biased opinions and to be true and loyal to their core. He also taught his children, the only way to heaven was through Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Loyalty to family included those in his community. Wes really enjoyed doing things for and with his church family and never met anyone he considered a stranger. Through the loss of their father, who will forever watch over them, his children find comfort in the song, "Strong" by Will Hoge, "It ain't what he can carry or what he can lift, it's a dirt road lesson talkin' to his kids, 'bout how to hold your ground and how to live strong." Preceding Wes in death were his parents, Dora Mae Gadberry Perry and Ralph Wesley Perry; brother, Holt Russell Perry; sister, Helen Eulain Perry Deese; son, Dennis Matthew Perry; two grandsons, Brandon Matthew Perry and Christopher Malik Perry. Remaining to cherish memories of Wes are his loving wife of almost sixty-seven years, lla Joyce Perry; sister, Shirley Faye Perry Betts; sons: David Lee Perry, Dalvin Lee Perry, Darron Wesley Perry, Darrell Martin Perry and James Mario Perry; daughters: Darla Joylee Perry Higgins, Danna Joyce Perry Contreras, Tamara Janelle Perry, Margarita Joylin Perry-Levandowski, Danita Ginalee Perry, Stephanie Joy Perry-Anderson, lla Novette Perry; twenty-eight grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. A Funeral Service will be held at Central Church of Nazarene, 901 E. Country Club Road, Roswell, NM, on Saturday, September 15, 2018, at 10:00 AM. Interment will follow at General Douglas L. McBride Veterans Cemetery. Please take a moment to share a fond memory or expression of sympathy for Wes’ family at www.andersonbethany.com. Wes’s tribute was lovingly written by his family in his honor.

Wesley "Wes" Lee Perry

November 24, 1929 - September 7, 2018