Zoila Figueroa Perry

Churchville, PA—Family and friends mourn the passing of Zoila Figueroa Perry, who died peacefully in her home in the company of family and friends on Saturday, December 7. She was 91.

The youngest of three sisters, Zoila was extremely proud of her Mexican heritage. Zoila and her family eventually moved to Chicago, where Zoila met her husband of 57 years, Robert “Bob” Perry, who was earning his Ph.D. in biophysics at the University of Chicago.

After their marriage, Zoila and Bob relocated to Oak Ridge Tennessee, and then to Philadelphia, when Bob was recruited to the Fox Chase Cancer Center. In 1964, they moved into a restored circa 1720 farmhouse in Bucks County, where they raised their three children, Rocco, Adèle, and Monique. They also made their home a place where friends gathered over the years for fine food, good music, and stimulating conversation. From their annual Fourth of July picnics to their International Food Club, Zoila and Bob were exceptional hosts.

Zoila was fluent in English, Spanish and French. She was a world traveler and filled her home with artifacts, art and keepsakes from the many trips that she and Bob took around the country and abroad. In 1975, when the family moved briefly to Paris, Zoila attended French culinary classes at the Parisian cooking and baking school, Pot-Au-Feu, becoming an accomplished cook.

Zoila was an artist at heart and her passion took many forms. She loved plants and had an incredible green thumb, keeping her home and garden filled with exotic plants and flora. She was never without her signature red lipstick and always sharply attired.

Zoila’s path as an artist led her to study sculpture at Bucks Community College, steel welding at the Cheltenham Art Center, casting techniques with Sculpture Associates, NYC, and ceramic sculpture techniques at the Ascanio de Gattis in Rome. By the early 80’s Zoila had discovered her calling as a professional sculptor. Her work included abstract and figurative sculptures composed of painted steel, chrome, stainless steel and copper. Many of her pieces featured semi-precious stones such as amethyst, citrine, rose quartz, malachite, lapis lazuli and geodes. Her style was defined by dynamism and contrast, with industrial materials juxtaposed with natural elements. Her art depicted themes ranging from the natural world to the human condition.

From 1980 to 1997, Zoila created 125 pieces of metal sculpture. Over the course of her artistic career, Zoila received several awards and showed her work in multiple juried exhibitions and gallery spaces, including the annual Rittenhouse Fine Art show, the Woodmere Gallery, the Mercer Museum, and the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, DC. She sold her work to patrons in both local and far-flung locales, and her pieces remain on display to this day in various private, corporate, and institutional collections.

Zoila is survived by her children, Rocco, Adèle, and Monique, her grandchildren Monique, Jackie, Dylan, Victor, Gabbi, Maria, and Simone and her great-granddaughter, Téa. She is predeceased by her husband Bob and her sisters Nellie and Theresa.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Cheltenham Arts Center.

https://www.cheltenhamarts.org/support/donate