Charles R. Perry Jr. died peacefully at home in Fairfax, Virginia, May 8, 2018, at the age of 81.
Charles was born at home in Throckmorton, Texas, October 1, 1936, and grew up on a farm near Elbert. He graduated from Throckmorton High School in 1955. On high-school afternoons and after graduation, he worked as an auto mechanic at a local car dealership. In 1960, he attended Bradley University School of Horology in Peoria, Illinois, completing a watch-making course. He was a member of the Texas Army National Guard. During the Berlin Crisis in 1961, he was called up and sent to Officers’ Candidates School. In 1963, he enrolled at Texas Tech University. With the assistance of the GI bill and his watch-repair skills, he worked his way through Tech, earning a PhD in mathematics in 1971.
Following graduation, Charles taught mathematics and statistics at Texas Lutheran University. During his sabbatical, he worked at NASA on a wheat forecasting production project for the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) using satellite imagery. In 1984, he took a position as a research statistician at USDA in Washington, DC. He traveled extensively in the Middle East, teaching applied agriculture statistics to international students and doing statistical analysis of crop information for several countries. Charles was a part-time statistics professor at The George Washington University. While in Fairfax, he met his wife, Ruth Hersh Peterson, and they were married in 2001.
Charles retired from his position at USDA in 2008 with an extensive list of publications to his name. In retirement, he and his wife traveled extensively—from Cuba to Morocco and many places in between—pursued passion projects; and read voraciously about current events, history, and economic markets.
Charles was a tremendous advocate and champion for those closest to him, supporting their education and self-development. He was a passionate student of history and politics and loved debating current events and policy. He cared deeply about empowering his family and friends to be the best they could be. He was an extremely diligent and driven individual who believed hard work and rational decision-making were key ingredients to accomplishment. He will be remembered for the sparkle in his eye and his keen intellect, observation, kindness, and humor.
Charles was preceded in death by his mother, Marvia Holbert Perry, and father, Charles “Rufus” Perry, of Throckmorton, Texas. He is survived by his wife, Ruth Hersh Perry of Fairfax, Virginia; stepdaughter, Susan Peterson Sturm of Fort Collins, Colorado; stepson, Erik Peterson of Joppa, Maryland; sister, Mary (Susie) Walraven-Kunkel of Throckmorton, Texas; and two nieces, Debbie Lukert and LaTonya Ellington.
Internment of Charles’ ashes and a local memorial will be held in Throckmorton in the fall.
I remember Charles Perry from our shared years in Throckmorton. Charles, several years younger than I, was a bright and appealing young man. I am pleased to know that he sought out and took advantage of opportunities to gain an impressive education and to lead a productive life. I appreciated reading his obituary.