John Michael Perry, Ph.D., age 79 years, of Hillsborough Township, NJ, died peacefully on Wednesday, February 15, 2023, at Foothill Acres Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, Hillsborough Township, NJ.

Born on August 23, 1943, in Tuscola, IL, son of the late J.C. and Lois Seip Perry, John grew up in central Illinois, attended Elkhart High School in Elkhart, Indiana, and graduated from Asbury University in Lexington, KY. He would continue on with his education and earn his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois, Champagne, in International Business.

With a passion for adventure and travel, and a keen business acumen, throughout his long career John sold tractors in Puerto Rico, was a contract pilot in Vietnam, worked as an Assistant Comptroller for the University of Illinois, worked for a law firm in Dallas, TX, and manufactured and sold plastics in New Jersey. After all those adventures, he later went on to build cell towers in the Caribbean, sold cellular payment by phone plans in Peru, became the President of the largest rice company in Mexico, along with several other endeavors. To say he enjoyed working, creating and learning is an understatement!

With many hobbies and passions to his credit, John served on the Raritan River Music Board of Trustees, was a volunteer E.M.T. serving with Clinton Rescue Squad, was a longtime member of the Town of Clinton Board of Education, serving ten years as President, and served on the Board of the United Methodist Church of Clinton.

He also loved to travel, fly planes and collect stamps. With a deep spiritual base, John became a trained minister, where he married, Christened, and buried many close friends and loved ones.

His hobbies were beneficial in many ways other than just assisting the community-at-large for it was at a Raritan River Music Festival where he would meet Rosanna Hunt, another volunteer. Their friendship would blossom and they would join hands in holy matrimony on August 3, 1996. The pair traveled the world with the Caribbean, Puerto Rico, Alaska, and Italy among some of their favorite locations. They were each other’s best friend, and their relationship was grounded in the fundamental component of life: love.

John was the true definition of a “people person”. His dry humor, generosity and kindness matched his intelligence and enjoyment of life. He will not soon be forgotten and to honor John is to live each day to the fullest, appreciating each and every person you meet along the way.

Surviving are his wife, Rosanna Hunt; his sons, J.P. and his wife, Josanne Perry, Ian and his wife, Emilie Perry, and Adam and his wife, Allison Beder; his grandchildren, Caelum, Thaddeus, Ellie, Katie, and Sarah; his sister and brother-in-law, Karen and Jerry Sprouls; several extended family members; and many dear friends and colleagues. John is already greatly missed but will live on through all who knew his heart.

Suffering from Alzheimer’s for the past several years was difficult for John, but was made easier by the loving care provided by so many, especially the caregivers at Foothill Acres; their genuine love and compassion will not soon be forgotten and is greatly appreciated by John and his family.

Family and friends are invited to gather on Saturday, February 25, 2023, from 1:00-2:30 p.m., in the Chapel of Wright & Ford Family Funeral Home and Cremation Services, 38 State Highway 31, Flemington, NJ.

A life celebration service will follow the gathering beginning at 2:30 p.m. and to which all are welcome.

Realizing that some may be unable to attend, the life celebration service will be live-streamed, with the stream being active starting at 2:15 p.m. on Saturday. To watch, please go back to John’s main obituary page and click the PLAY button where you see the picture under Service.

Interment will be private.

You are encouraged to visit John’s permanent life celebration site at www.wrightfamily.com to light a candle of hope, leave messages of condolence, share words of comfort and recollection, and post photographs of his life.

Memorial contributions in his honor a memory may be made to Alzheimer’s New Jersey (https://www.alznj.org) or to Raritan River Music (https://www.raritanrivermusic.org).

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Wright & Ford, your local, family owned & operated “Life Celebration Home”

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