Priscilla R. Perry

(7/2/32 - 11/22/12)

Priscilla Perry, 80, passed away on Thanksgiving Day, her very favorite holiday. Our mother was a pioneer for women’s rights, a protector of those less fortunate, and most important to her, the best mother and grandmother ever.

Priscilla obtained her B.A. and Master’s degree at the University of Miami. She began her career at the Anti-Defamation League advancing civil rights during the tumultuous fifty’s and sixty’s. She went on to direct the Center for Urban and Regional Studies and founded the Institute for the Study of Aging at the University of Miami. She also founded the Canterbury Day Care Center at the University, so that mothers could go to work with peace of mind. She was the Founding Editor of Miami Interaction, a magazine that chronicled local efforts to address urban problems. Priscilla served on many local and national boards, including the Hospice Foundation of America.

Priscilla later became a highly regarded lobbyist on the national and local stage, specializing in transportation issues. She was brilliant, articulate, insightful, and elegant and was often contacted by corporate and political leaders for her impeccable advice and counsel. Mom never forgot her humble roots and treated everyone with genuine respect and dignity. She was our North Star, and we will miss her love and guidance every single day.

Priscilla was fiercely protective of her family, a value she derived from her beloved father, the late Michael Rosenfeld. She is survived by her daughter, Pam, (Ellen Leesfield), her son, Aaron (Amy), her “best in the world” grandchildren, Allie, Annie, and Adam and her long time partner, Dr. Allen Rutchik, all of whom provided her with incalculable love and joy. She will also be missed by her loving stepdaughter, Linda Man. She is predeceased by her loving late husband, Dr. Eugene Man.

We wish to thank Dr. Carol Davis, Dr. Rob Cava and her assistant Yolanda Lynch, who took meticulous and loving care of her during the last years of her life.

Services will be held on Sunday, Nov. 25. at 11:00 a.m. at Riverside, Mt. Nebo, Kendall, 5900 SW 77th Ave, Miami, 33143, (305-274-0641).