The Rev. Dr. Frank C. Perry (retired, Burlington), age 96, died on September 5, 2020 after a battle of several weeks with coronavirus. A native of Kannapolis, NC, he was the son of Joseph Franklin and Ida Caston Perry. He was preceded in death by Martha, his wife of 62 years.
He was a graduate of Furman University, Greenville, SC; Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, Columbia, SC; Duke Divinity School, Durham, NC; and was awarded an honorary doctorate from Lenior-Rhyne University in Hickory, NC.
His college education was interrupted by World War II. He was inducted into the U.S. Army and continued a career in the Army Reserves and National Guard. Following the war, he was employed by Burroughs Corporation as an accounting machine salesman. He was ordained in 1955 and served at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Kinston, Holy Trinity in Chapel Hill, and started Church of Reconciliation in Wilmington. He was on a number of committees and boards of the North Carolina Synod, including many years on the Synod Council. Frank and Martha had a special interest in campus ministry and music. He was an amateur organist. Frank was a member of Holy Trinity, Chapel Hill.
Frank was active in the Civil Rights Movement before and during the 1960s and continued be an activist his entire life. He believed that “all people are children of God and infinitely precious, regardless of their race, ethnicity, or gender identity.” He treated everyone he met with dignity and respect.
He is survived by a daughter, Anne Brashear and husband, Bill, of Chapel Hill; a daughter, Lee Godfrey and husband, Tom, of Charlotte; a son, Frank, Jr, of Raleigh; five grandchildren, three great grandchildren, and two “adopted” daughters, Holly Stein and Judy Hannah of Ft. Collins, CO and Oslo, Norway.
A memorial service will be held sometime in the future when it is once again safe to assemble.
