Mary Ellen Perry

With loving hearts the children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren of Mary Ellen Perry grieve her passing on January 8, 2019 at age 91. Born on November 25, 1927 in Toronto, Ohio, she resided in Central Florida since age 10. She has joined her loving husband, Johnie L. Perry; father and mother, Gordon M. and Clara S. Peeler; daughter, Lynn Schwarz; grandsons Brian Lamm and Michael Schwarz; son-in-law, Sam Morrow; 4 brothers and 1 sister. She is survived by her children, Ron Henderson (Charlotte), Richard Henderson (Marcia), Linda Stokes (Dan), Deborah Morrow (Sam, dec.), step-children, Ann Bozard (John), Steve Perry (Jody), Mark Perry (Tayeko), son-in-law, Mike Schwarz; 12 grandchildren, 23 great-grandchildren, and 4 great-great-grandchildren; 1 sister.

Born in the era of the Great Depression, Mary and her parents moved from Ohio to Georgia before journeying to Orlando, Florida in 1937. In that time, Orlando was a small town with brick streets and dirt roads, retail stores (Ivey’s, Belk Lindsey, J C Penny, and the five-and-dimes McCrory’s and Woolworths) which were all located on Orange Avenue. Chickasaw Trail in East Orange County was land waiting for planting orange groves, raising cows, chickens, and rabbits. It also had an abundance of palmetto, sandspurs, and rattlesnakes. Together Gordon and Clara made this their homestead.

Mary attended Princeton Elementary and Winter Park High School.

While most of her life her career was homemaker, Mary worked outside of the home as a clerk in the post office of the Orlando Air Force Base (Herndon); clerk in the U.S. Post Office, Union Park; cafeteria manager at Bonneville Elementary School and in administration at Colonial High School for Orange County Public Schools.

Mary married the love of her life, Johnie, December 26, 1975. Together they created a loving environment for their combined families of 8 children.

Services are entrusted to Baldwin Fairchild East Altamonte Chapel on Monday, January 14, 2019 at 2:00 PM with internment following at Glen Haven Memorial Park, Winter Park, FL.