Larry Perry

Larry, was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma to Flentell Perry and Annabelle Dickerson on December 28, 1956. Larry met his wife, Cherylee Buck, while attending Muskogee High School. Their meeting was truly out of The Eagle’s song…..standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona (but their corner was in Muskogee, Oklahoma). They began dating his senior year and married on December 4, 1976. After high school, he joined the United States Navy, where he served on the USS Richmond K Turner. After 4 years active duty with the Navy, he became a reservist and was activated 5 times throughout his career. He served in the Gulf War, Operation Freedom and the Iraq War. After 35 years, he retired in 2012 as a Chief Warrant Officer 4. In addition to being in the United States Navy, he was an Arizona State Trooper. He started his career as a Trooper in 1980 at the Petrified Forest and eventually transferred to Phoenix where he served in Internal Affairs, Motors and retired as the SWAT Commander. He served a fulfilling career to the State of Arizona for 32 years and retired in 2012. He is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma and could often be heard saying “Boomer Sooner”.

In 2012, Larry and Cherylee moved back to Fort Gibson, Oklahoma where Larry became a fixture at Gene’s Aqua Pro and shared his love for scuba with many. He was a PADI Instructor and affectionately became known as Professor Larry. In addition to scuba, Larry became a guiding light for many at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Larry’s genuine nature and strong spirit positively impacted so many, and he will be truly missed.

Larry’s loving spirit is carried on by his wife of 47 years, Cherylee Perry; their son Jeremy and his wife Lisa; their daughter Jami; their grandchildren Mitchell Gunner and Jessie Leigh; his sister in law, Denise and her husband Bo Todd; his sister in law Debbie and her husband Darin Douglass, along with nephews Stephan and Devin; his sister in law Christine and her husband Shawn Yohn, along with nieces Nichole, Marisa and Gabrielle. Preceding him in peace are his parents Flentell and Annabelle Perry and Aunt Mary Perry. His family knows he was welcomed on the other side with open arms and it was proudly proclaimed “Well done, thou good and faithful servant!” While we say good bye and grieve on this side, we can only imagine the celebration of the loved ones welcoming him home.

To honor Larry’s memory, we will be holding a Celebration of Life of July 5th, 2024 at A.L. Moore-Grimshaw Bethany Chapel at 12:00 pm. Before the celebration, there will be a viewing from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm. The family asks that you not wear black and to please come as Larry knew you. Wearing US Navy or AZDPS uniforms, Harley Davidson, Gene’s Aqua Pro or anything patriotic. The family wants this to be a true celebration of who Larry was, and invite anyone who can attend to get up and share stories of their time with him.

For those who would like to honor Larry by sending flowers, please keep with the patriotic theme of our celebration.