Obituary of Pearl Perry

Pearl Perry March 13, 1914 ? January 5, 2011 Pearl was born in Milpitas, California the fourth child to Aurora and Tony Perry. The family moved to the peninsula in the 1920?s where Pearl and her brothers attended Bay View Elementary School. Her secret passion was to be a nurse, but it was not to be. At the tender age of 12 the pattern for the rest of her life was formed as she started working in the fruit canneries traveling as far away as Oxnard, CA. She didn?t cash her first payroll check until she was 18 because all the money earned was pulled together to support the family. She was one of the last cannery workers to work on Cannery Row when Hovden Cannery closed its doors in the early 1960?s and where now stands the Aquarium. She married the love of her life, Ernest Perry, in 1940 and together raised three children until Ernest died in 1966. The family moved to Seaside in 1950. She was interested in crafts and for a time made ceramic ashtrays, flower pots and anything else she could think of. She found her talent also in knitting and crocheting giving most of her treasures away. She loved to cook and couldn?t wait to try out a new recipe. On any Sunday afternoon, you would find family and neighbors enjoying her spaghetti and meatballs and of course everything from scratch even her garlic bread. She loved working in her garden and canning her fruits and vegetables. She was an excellent seamstress. She volunteered many years at the Oldemeyer Center and later served on the Senior Citizens Council for the City of Seaside. Above all she loved being with her family. Pearl was proud of her Portuguese heritage and supported the local organizations: Festa do Divino Espirito Santo in Monterey and Our Lady of Fatima Society in Pacific Grove. Pearl is preceded in death by her daughter Jeanette Cardinalli Johnson. She leaves her daughters Tina Warren and Linda Natale-Kojima (Koji) and her son Don Perry, thirteen grandchildren, great grandchildren and great, great grandchildren. A visitation will be held Thursday January 13th at Seaside Funeral Home 1915 Ord Grove Ave. from 5-8 pm with a rosary at 7pm. Funeral mass will be celebrated Friday, January 14th at 10am at St. Francis Xavier Church 1475 La Salle Ave. Burial will follow at Mission Memorial Park, 1915 Ord Grove Ave. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to Festa do Divino Espirito Santo (F.D.E.S.) 950 Casanova Ave. Monterey, CA 93940. Condolences may be written to the family at www.seasidefunerals.com