Elizabeth R. Perry

Elizabeth Rice Perry died at her home early Thursday morning, January 14, 2021. She was 87. Born on Aug. 5, 1933, in Bergen County, NJ, Elizabeth Jane Rice was the daughter of Harold and Mary Brower Rice. She grew up in Laurel, MD, where she graduated from Laurel High School. Always a strong swimmer, she became a Red Cross lifeguard. She attended Pennsylvania State University for two years before attending the University of Maryland at College Park, where she received a degree in home economics. She moved from Laurel to Easton in the late 1950s to take a job as the 4-H Agent for Talbot County with the University of Maryland Extension Service. On November 24, 1958, she and William Arthur Perry were married at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church in Easton. In the mid-1960s, she and her dear friend, Margaret Dise, operated the Yarn Shop on Dover Street in Easton. Mrs. Perry worked for several years as a social worker for the Talbot County Department of Social Services. Later, she was office manager for the Talbot County Mental Health Association. For many years, she was a volunteer for primary and general elections at the polling place in Royal Oak. Betty Perry said the Easton Waterfowl Festival was born on her kitchen table, because her husband, Bill Perry, and Dr. Harry Walsh held many of their early planning sessions for the Festival there. She was a dedicated Festival volunteer from its birth in the fall of 1970 until ill health forced her retirement. For several years, she served as the Festival’s historian. She accompanied her husband on his annual summer trips across America with the Outdoor Writers Association of America. She was an avid golfer until about age 80. She enjoyed fishing and landed several impressive catches. A skilled seamstress, she made clothing for family, did extraordinary upholstery, made fine drapes and also knitted. She was dedicated to membership in her quilting clubs. She had an entire room equipped for sewing, with a sewing machine and lots and lots of material. In the late 1960s, Betty and her husband built their home in Royal Oak. Mrs. Perry is survived by two sons, Bruce Edward Perry (Patty) and Bruce Haden Perry (Louise); one son-in-law, Bill Jackson; two daughters, Kimberly Perry Whiteley (Tyler Sr.) and Denise Perry Riley; three grandsons, Joshua, Tyler and Brady; seven granddaughters, Katherine, Caroline, Colin, Amber, Courtney, Faith and Kamryn; five great-grandsons, Cole, Graham, Nicolas, Finn, and Declan; and ten great-granddaughters, Khloe, Winifred, Caroline, Margaret, Rhemington, Kemper, Kherington, Attlee, Caleesi and Isabel. Mrs. Perry is also survived by two nieces, Linda Maxwell and Chris Witherow. She was predeceased by Mr. Perry in 1992; their daughter, Debra Perry Jackson; their son, William Austin Perry; her brother, Edward Wagner; and her sister, Helen Barbagallo A private burial service will be held this week at Woodlawn Memorial Park near Easton. A memorial service will be held at a later date. Memorial donations may be made to the Waterfowl Festival Bill Perry Scholarship Fund, 40 S. Harrison St., Easton, MD 21601, or Channel Marker, 8865 Glebe Park Drive, Easton, MD 21601.

Elizabeth R. Perry

August 5, 1933 - January 14, 2021