Doyle D Perry

Doyle D. Perry, 87, of Akron, Ohio died peacefully in his sleep at home on Friday, May 5, 2023.  After being treated for Congestive Heart Failure and Prostate Cancer, on April 14^th he made the decision to receive hospice services at home.  During this three-week time frame, he received numerous letters from friends and family expressing their love for him and the memories they shared. He was surrounded by the love of his family and was ready to be at peace.

Doyle was born in Carl, Iowa and raised on a farm 4 miles away from where he was born. He graduated from Corning High School where he was an active member of the glee club, barbershop quartets and choirs. He also performed solos and acted in plays. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science from Tarkio College in Missouri.  His career started and ended at Mallinckrodt Chemical Company St. Louis, MO where he was a lab chemist for over 40 years.  He had many interesting stories of making common chemicals using 55-gallon drums and canoe oars for mixing. 

Doyle met his future spouse, Marilyn in St. Louis.  Doyle & Marilyn were married on July 9, 1961. They were members of Living Christ Lutheran Church in Florissant, MO for 58 years and members of Faith Lutheran Church in Akron, OH since 2022.  They lived in one house in Florissant, MO for 56 years until moving to Ohio in 2020 to be closer to their children.

Doyle’s curiosity in so many topics made him an interesting conversationalist. His hobbies included reading (50 years in the same book club!), coin & stamp collecting, photography, playing cribbage and Scrabble. He enjoyed traveling with his wife, family and friends. Some of his favorite destinations included beach trips to Emerald Isle, North Carolina, exploring England and visiting the United States parks, monuments, historic sites and Presidential Libraries.  Birds, particularly hummingbirds and chickadees, appreciated an ongoing supply of food at his well-maintained feeders. His patience and chemistry skills helped turn out homemade herb bread, cookies and his famous mashed potatoes. He was captivated by maps, cloud formations, the moon, stars and planets.  Doyle had a deep appreciation for people’s stories.  He especially enjoyed the hand-written word and spent countless hours writing and reading letters the old-fashioned way (on paper!).  He often shared his opinions and insights with the local paper.  He could recite Edgar Allen Poe seamlessly and tell a joke that caught you by surprise. His favorite “group” was Beethoven. He studied WWII, airplanes and space almost his entire life. One of his last explorations was examining the concept of “awe.”    

Of all his joys, nature and all its splendor topped the list.  He maintained a garden his whole life.  A special joy in the last few years of his life was planning and creating a garden with his daughter.   

He was a member of the Missouri Botanical Garden and the Missouri Historical Society. He supported a number of organizations including the Democratic Party, The Nature Conservancy, Sierra Club, NOW and The Institute for Peace & Justice to name a few.

Doyle will be missed, mightily, and his legacy lives on in his family, his garden, countless friends and the many people whose lives he touched.

He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Marilyn; two children, Andrew (Karla) Perry and Lynne (Jason) Poulton, brother Russell (Starla) Perry, two sister-laws Joyce Perry and Beth Perry and dozens of nieces, nephews, grandnieces, grandnephews, extended family and many dear friends.

A private memorial service will be held for immediate family.

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to The Nature Conservancy or the organization of your choice.

Doyle was preceded in death by his parents, James O. Perry & Eva Laurene Perry, and brothers Eugene, Jay, Clair and Merrill (Sue).