Published June 26, 2020
PEABODY — Constance M. (Lee) Perry, 92, a resident of Brooksby Village in Peabody and formerly of Melrose, passed away peacefully on Saturday, June 13, 2020.
Constance was born in Stretford, England on February 16, 1928, the second oldest of seven children of the late Arthur and Gladys (Bradshaw) Lee. At the beginning of World War II, Connie and three of her siblings were evacuated from the industrial center of Manchester to the homes of several families around the rural farming village of Great Eccleston. As the oldest of her siblings who were evacuated, Connie took on a motherly role and sought to provide for her younger siblings.
At age 14, she began working as a restaurant cashier in the resort town of Blackpool, England. Several years later, she was introduced to a Sergeant in the U.S. Air Force, William V. Perry, on an American base in England, and they were married the next year before following her husband to the United States. They raised their family of three children, first in Malden and then settling in Melrose in 1961.
Connie resided in Melrose for almost 25 years where she was a member of the First Baptist Church and Kappa Delta Psi. In 1984, she moved to Stoneham. During these years, she frequented the Winchester Public Library, she enjoyed walks around the Mystic Lakes and she doted on her grandchildren.
Connie worked in Boston as the receptionist of the former Meredith & Grew, a commercial real estate firm now known as Colliers International. Connie was a natural in her role as the initial point of contact for all visitors to the office. She was a welcoming, intelligent, and articulate woman who enjoyed conversing with clients before meetings. She became a valued member of the firm with her personable touch and congenial nature.
Connie had a tremendous love for children which endured throughout her life. With a love for reading and learning, she found great joy in English poetry, especially the works of Milton, Wordsworth, Keats and Rupert Brooke. She also absorbed the Boston Globe front to back every day. She often said to her children, “How can you know what’s going on in the world if you don’t read the paper?”
Connie had the easy facility of approaching and talking to anybody and everybody and leaving them feeling better for having met her. She will be deeply missed and always lovingly remembered.
Connie was the beloved wife of the late William V. Perry with whom she shared 30 years of marriage until his death in 1975. Devoted mother of Stephen Perry and his husband Oliver Radford of Cambridge and Gloucester, Laurianne Mitchell and her husband Dr. William Mitchell of Wayland, and Lee Teschner and her late husband Ted Teschner of Ridgefield, N.J. Caring sister of Robert William Lee and his wife Barbara of Minneapolis, Minn., John Lee and his wife Caroline of Chicago, and the late Grace Lee, Clifford Lee, Millicent Nelson, and Doreen Asumah and her late husband Francis. Cherished grandmother of Teddy, Taylor, Travis, Kendra, Chelsea, Courtney and Hayley. Loving great-grandmother of Harper, Brighton, Ainsley, Winston, Perry, Flora, Esme, Christian and Harrison. Also survived by many nieces and nephews.
Graveside service to honor Connie’s life will be private at Puritan Lawn Memorial Park, Peabody. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in her name to Care Dimensions, 75 Sylvan St., B-102, Danvers MA 01923, or buy a subscription to the Boston Globe in honor of this dedicated reader. For online tribute or to express condolences please visit RobinsonFuneralHome.com.
