Col. William E. Perry, Jr.

394th BG/585th SQ, Pilot

Colonel William E. Perry, Jr. (USAF Retired) passed away peacefully on January 26, 2010 in Tucson, Arizona. Services will be held at 3:00 p.m., Friday, February 5, 2010 at St. Alban's Episcopal Church, 3738 Old Sabino Canyon Rd on the west side of Sabino Canyon Rd. between River and Kolb. Bill is survived by his beloved wife of 64 years, Eloise Walborn Perry; son, William E. Perry, III of Sahuarita; and daughter, Gail W. Perry of Yuma.

Born in Brownwood, TX in 1921 and growing up in Mercedes, TX, Bill entered the United States Army Air Corp as an aviation cadet in 1942, graduating from pilot training at Yuma Army Air Field. He was shot down at Nantes, France on his 55th mission and crashed behind allied lines on Cherbourg Peninsula. He was hospitalized for seven months and was returned to flying status on a waiver.

During his career he flew more than 30 aircraft types, from WWII through Vietnam, including the Berlin Airlift. He retired in 1971 from Ellsworth Air Force Base, SD where he was serving as Director of Materiel and Executive Officer of the 821st Air Division. During his career he received many medals and awards, the most notable of which are the Air Medal with 10 clusters, Purple Heart, Bronze Star, Croix de Guerre with Palm awarded by France, and Medal for Humane Action.

Bill and Eloise owned franchise restaurants in Tucson for eight years and Bill served as President of the Southern Arizona Restaurant Association. He was a Real Estate Broker and Accredited Land Consultant with Long Realty from 1981 to 2009, specializing in farm and ranch property. Bill and Eloise were awarded the 2009 Barrington Long Lifetime Achievement Award. He also served as President of the Arizona Chapter of Realtors Land Institute (RLI) and as a member of the National Board of RLI.

Bill received a Bachelor of Science in Military Science from the University of Maryland. He was a member of the Order of the Daedalians, Catalina Rotary Club, Tucson Country Club, Tucson Desert Club, Mountain Oyster Club, Los Charros del Desierto, and the Tucson Trap and Skeet Club.

He served as President of the B-26 Marauder Historical Society and was instrumental in bringing the B-26 Marauder archives to the Pima Air and Space Museum. As a longtime member of the Pima County Sheriff's Posse, he participated in search and rescue on horseback.

The family requests that any remembrances be made to the B-26 Marauder Historical Society, 3900 E. Timrod St., Tucson AZ 85711 or Therapeutic Riding of Tucson (TROT), 8920 E. Woodland Rd, Tucson, AZ 85749.

MHS Administration:

Bill served on the B-26 Marauder Historical Society’s Board of Directors for three terms and served as President of the Board in 2003. He was integral to the transfer of the B-26 Archive from Akron, Ohio to the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, AZ. His dedication and support of the B-26 Marauder and it’s history will be sorely missed and we are ever grateful for it.