Brenda Corbin Perry

She was born Nov. 13, 1948 in Starke, FL, where her father’s US Navy career had taken the family. Much of her childhood was spent moving with her parents and her sister Cindy up and down the Eastern Seaboard when the Navy changed his duty stations. After his retirement from the Navy, the family returned to his home region in eastern North Carolina, eventually settling in Currie, NC, across the road from his childhood home.

This formative experience led to her firm decision to settle in one place for the rest of her life. True to her convictions, she moved to Fort Myers, FL, in 1974 where her first husband, Tom, has deep family roots. She was one of the first “lady vets” in Lee County. Quite petite herself, she was also one of the first to specialize exclusively in small animals.

She went on to a 32-year career in veterinary medicine, retiring in 2016. She was known for her compassion and dedication to caring for animals throughout their lifespan. For a period she worked for Lee County animal services caring for discarded, unwanted, and stray animals.

Her passion for dance and fitness started with a 1980s aerobics class. She went on to learn ballet, tap, and jazz. After retirement, ballroom dance took its place as a bit more than a hobby. Along the way, she dedicated herself to fitness, including a brief spell in the 1990s where she competed in body-building (always in the lightest weight division). She blended her love of dance with fitness in the 2010s by obtaining certification and teaching classes in gyrokinesis.

She remained active and busy, even after she was diagnosed with late-stage pancreatic cancer in April 2026. Scientifically minded, and as always firm in her decisions (some would say quietly stubborn), she chose to forego treatment so as to spend her final months as comfortably as possible together with her family.

She was preceded in death by her parents Davis Bruce Rowe and Ruth Marston Rowe, as well as her beloved sister Cindy Rowe West. She is survived by her husband Phillip, her children Mason and Julie (Van), grandchildren Maizie, Emma, Daven, Blaine, Genevieve, Abby, Charlotte, Delaney, and Dalton, brother-in-law Graham, and nephews Tom (Wendy) and Chris (Heather).

Services will be held at Cypress Lake United Methodist Church in Fort Myers at 10 a.m. on September 19, 2026 with a reception following. All are welcome.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the animal rescue of your choice, or to the Victoria Strauss Foundation Dance Scholarship.