Jesse Jay Perry, Iii

MASTER SERGEANT RI AIR NATIONAL GUARD PERRY, JESSE III, “JAY”, 92, of Wakefield, died Tuesday August 2, 2011. He was the beloved husband of the late Priscilla Marion (Anderson) Perry. Born in East Providence, he was a son of the late Jesse Perry Jr. and Mary Trinidad (Andrade) Perry. Mr. Perry worked for the Washburn Wire Company from 1936 to 1941. Drafted in August of that year, trained in ordnance at the Aberdeen Proving Ground and served as an Armaments Specialist in the U.S. Army Air Corps during WW II at the Richmond Army Air Base in Virginia. He was a member of the 327th Fighter Squadron and as a Staff Sergeant he was stationed in the Panama Canal Zone with the 51st Fighter Squadron (Twin Engine) at Howard Field. After discharge from active duty, Jesse worked for the First National Store in East Providence from 1945 to 1951. That year he became a member of the R I Air National Guard, serving as a Full Time Technician in Terminal Services, first with the 143rd Special Operations Squadron, later the 143rd Troop Carrier Squadron in Warwick at Hillsgrove now T.F. Green Airport. He retired from the RIANG as a Master Sergeant in 1978. He enjoyed going on fishing charters, bowling and golfing. He was an avid baseball fan and a member of the VFW. He is survived by two sons, Kenneth J. Perry of Hopkinton and Alan E. Perry of South Kingstown; two grandchildren, Amanda E. Perry of South Kingstown and Jesse C. Perry of Hopkinton; two sisters, Gladys Mohart of Missouri and Dolores Colantonio of Warwick. He was the brother of the late Dorothy , Gloria, Joseph and Edward Perry. The funeral will be held Tuesday at 11:00 AM in the Avery-Storti Funeral Home, 88 Columbia St., Wakefield. Visiting hours Monday 4-7 PM. Burial with military honors will be in the RI Veterans Cemetery, Exeter. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Disabled American Veterans, P.O. Box 13301, Cincinnati, OH 45250-0301.