McHENRY, Ky. — Emmet J. “Wimpy” Perry, 95, passed away peacefully at his home in McHenry, Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018. He was born in Rosine, Kentucky, to the late Maggie Hatler Perry and Ollie Perry.
Emmet enjoyed his family, gardening, visiting area schools to talk about his military service and watching his favorite game shows, The Price is Right and The Wheel of Fortune. He was a member of the McHenry Baptist Church.
The Rosine native was a SGT First Class when he retired from the U.S. Army after serving his country for 24 years from 1942 until 1966. Emmet served in the 83rd (Thunderbolt) Infantry during WWII and participated in the D-Day invasion at Omaha Beach, France, in 1944.
While serving our country on foreign soil, he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for heroic achievement above and beyond the call of duty. He was wounded three times during his military career and was awarded a Purple Heart with two Oak Leaf Clusters and the Combat Infantry Badge.
During WWII he served four campaigns (Normandy, Central Europe, Ardennes, Brittany) during the European Theater of Operations for which he received four Bronze Battle Stars and numerous other awards.
Emmet also served one tour of duty during the Korean War in the 2nd Infantry Division for which he received two Bronze Battle Stars; and a second award of the Combat Infantry Badge. He also served two tours of duty in Korea during peace time-one tour with the 81st Signal Depot and one tour with Korean Military Advisory Group (KMAG).
In 1959, Emmet was assigned to TDY with the 2nd Signal Company to Okinawa, Japan, and to Laos as a truce negotiator. From 1960-1963, he served one tour of duty at the Saumur Signal Company in Saumur, France. From 1965-1966, he served in the USCRAT Military Command at Taipei, Taiwan (Republic of China).
Emmet’s wife, Lillie, and children lived in France and Taiwan with him. Emmet was in active military service during the Viet Nam War in 1966 when he retired.
He worked for the Civil Service for a short time and was employed for 15 ½ years at Martin Marietta Aluminum, retiring in 1984.
Emmit was preceded in death by his first wife, Lillie Louise Likens Perry to whom he was married for 54 years; a son, Bruce Perry; and siblings, Charles Lake Perry, Truby Perry and Wilma Smith.
Survivors include his wife, Dortha M. Boling Perry; his children, Emmett (Anita) Perry, of Paducah, Kentucky; Phillip Perry, of Beaver Dam, Kentucky; Steven (Phyllis) Perry, of Hartford, Kentucky; Calvin (Sheri) Perry, of Bartlesville, Oklahoma; Regina Benson, of Beaver Dam; Sue (Ron) Peech, of Hartford, Ricky (Kim) Perry, of Beaver Dam; Patrick (Kim) Perry, of Beaver Dam; Gordon (Norma) Perry, of Bartlesville, Oklahoma; and Cynthia (Allen) Davis, of Paducah; 32 grandchildren and 76 great-grandchildren; and stepchildren, Sherry L. Alvey, of Owensboro, Kentucky; Robert Boling, of Valparaiso, Indiana; Stephen Boling, of Calvert City, Kentucky; and Michael Boling, of Owensboro.
Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. of Saturday, Feb. 24, at William L. Danks Funeral Home in Beaver Dam, Kentucky with Rev. Brent Howard officiating. Burial will follow in Sunnyside Cemetery in Beaver Dam, Kentucky with full military honors. Friends may visit with Emmet’s family from 3 p.m. until 8 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. until the time of the service Saturday at the funeral home.
The family requests expressions of sympathy may take the form of contributions in Emmet’s Memory to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Memorial and Honor Program, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, Tennessee 38105-1942 or by visiting www.stjude.org/tribute.
Online messages of condolences may be left at www.danksfuneralhome.com.