Dr. James Cordell Perry Jr Obituary (1939 - 2016)

James Cordell Perry, Jr., was born on September 8, 1939, and departed this life on January 10, 2016 peacefully at his home in Lebanon, Tn., after a ferocious 6 year battle against colon cancer. He is survived by his wife of 46 years, Beverly Maynard Perry, a daughter, Melissa Perry Steinhart, and two beloved granddaughters, Shea and Ayla Steinhart. He is preceded in death by his parents, James Cordell Perry, Sr. and Mattie Stone Perry; and daughter, Rachel Nicole Perry. He was a graduate of Lipscomb High School where he lettered in basketball, golf, and track and continued as an athlete in golf and basketball at Lipscomb University. He completed his Bachelor's Degree in Biology and Chemistry and received his Master's Degree in Biology at Middle Tennessee State University. He completed his PhD at Vanderbilt-Peabody in Higher Education Administration and Psychology. He was a faculty member at Cleveland State Community College and was a Division Chairman at Roane State Community College. He then took positions at Tennessee Tech in Cookeville, Tn. as Director of Admissions and Financial Aid, Assistant Vice-President of Student Services, and was an instructor of graduate students in Higher Education and Psychology. Upon retirement from Tennessee Tech, he became a financial planner for Sagepoint Financial Services until his retirement in 2015. During his 39 years in Cookeville, he served as President of the Lion's Club, Vice-president of Noonday Rotary, and was an elder at Collegeside Church of Christ. He coached youth league girls' basketball and softball, and was President of the Cookeville High swim team boosters. He was President of TACROA and Phi Delta Kappa Professional Fraternity. He also served as a Sunday school teacher of high school students and later Young Professionals at Collegeside for many years. He was an avid golfer and loved vacations with his family to the mountains and the ocean. He was a large fan of college basketball and football teams. He had an amazing sense of humor and a servant's heart for others. He moved to Lebanon, Tn. to be near his daughter, granddaughters and many friends from Nashville. He was a member of the College Hills Church of Christ in Lebanon, Tn.Visitation will be held on Thursday, January 14th from 4-7 p.m. in the Partlow Funeral Chapel. Visitation on Friday January 15th 10:00 a.m. until Celebration of Life Services at 11:00 a.m. in the College Hills Church of Christ in Lebanon, Tn. Dr. Joe Roberts & Dr. Kevin Owen will officiate the service. We are grateful for the wonderful care he received at Vanderbilt and those who helped his with his battle and gave him unexpected extra years of life. A special thank you to the staff & Hospice personnel who lovingly cared for him in the last few weeks. In lieu of flowers, the family request contributions be made in his memory to the Collegeside Pantry, the Compassionate Hands or Next Steps of College Hills Church of Christ, any local Hospice, or the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center. PARTLOW FUNERAL CHAPEL(615) 444-7007 OBITUARY LINE (615) 444-7700.www.partlowchapel.com Friday, January 15, 201611:00 AM TBD