Beth Elaine Perry

Beth was born on a dairy farm in Vickery, Ohio, to Robert and Jane (Wright) Perry. She attended Riley Township Elementary School and Fremont Ross High School before earning a B.S.Ed. in Home Economics from Bowling Green State University and a M.S. in Home Economics from The Ohio State University.

Her career began as an Auglaize County Extension Agent in Ohio, where she put her education in Home Economics to practical use serving the community. She later moved to Chicago, where she worked as an event planner for about 15 years. Eventually, Beth made her way to Washington State, where she spent 20 years as the Regional Science Bowl Coordinator for the southern central region. She also helped coordinate the National Science Bowl in Washington, D.C. each year.

Beth was, in the truest sense of the word, a quaintrelle—a woman devoted to beauty, elegance, creativity, and the pleasures of life. She had an unmistakable style and a raucous, belly-shaking laugh that could fill a room.

She possessed a remarkable command of the domestic arts, including sewing, knitting, crocheting, cooking, and gardening. She was known for her signature crocheted doilies, handmade lavender sachets, and countless other beautiful and useful creations. She treasured family heirlooms and the stories and memories attached to them, taking great care to preserve and pass along family history. She was also an enthusiastic collector of fine dishes and serving pieces, linens, every kitchen gadget known to mankind, antique furniture, seashells and other natural ephemera, and, perhaps most importantly, good boxes. No box was too useful, too pretty, or too interesting to escape Beth’s notice.

She took great pleasure in entertaining and prided herself on throwing elegant luncheons and fine parties. She loved setting a beautiful table, serving good food, and creating occasions worth remembering. She also loved to travel, with favorite destinations including New Orleans, Sanibel Island, the Oregon Coast, Banff, and Moab. Closer to home, she enjoyed Dust Devils baseball games—seizing any opportunity to spend time with friends, eat popcorn, and cheer on the home team.

Beth was also an excellent trivia player, specializing in history, music of the 60s, and classic films. She wasn’t particularly competitive, but she sure did love to win. In her youth, she earned the nickname “Money Bags” while dominating her siblings and cousins at Michigan poker. She loved crossword puzzles, playing cards, and Mexican Train dominoes, and could happily settle in for an afternoon of games and conversation.

At home, Beth took great pleasure in watching the birds at her feeder and became especially excited when a hummingbird or dragonfly stopped to visit the flowers in her backyard garden. She noticed and appreciated the small, beautiful things that made ordinary days more interesting.

Beth is survived by her sisters, Parmelia Boyer of Lindsey, Ohio, and Mary Jane Gibson and her husband, John Gibson, of Catawba Island, Ohio; nieces Jane Lamp Kaminski, Abby Heckman, Emily Gibson, and Andrea “AJ” Perry; and nephew Jack Gibson, all of whom narrowly escaped her threats to “clean our clocks.”

She was preceded in death by her brothers, Gene Perry and Joe Perry, both of Vickery, Ohio. She is also survived by the many dear friends she made through her Bunco and book clubs, as well as countless others who were fortunate enough to know her.

Beth lived by her own ethos: always be true to oneself. She had an unmistakable style, a strong sense of what she liked, and little interest in pretending to be anything other than exactly who she was. She lived a life filled with creativity, curiosity, friendship, travel, beautiful things, good food, and a great deal of laughter. She will be deeply missed.

A celebration of Beth’s life will be held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Women Helping Women Fund of Tri-Cities, where Beth served on the board for several years.