Elizabeth Anne Perry

Elizabeth Anne Perry, our beautiful, wild Liz, died August 16, 2024 in Corvallis after a grueling battle with kidney disease. She was born January 14, 1988 in Salem to Thomas and Sherry Kay (Williams) Perry, joining sister Nicole to complete our family. She graduated from Central High School in Independence in 2006 as the senior class president. She was a 4-year varsity pitcher on the Central softball team, and spent many summers, starting in middle school in summer league softball, often playing “up” on teams with older players.

She went to Sidney, Montana every other summer until 1998 with her family to visit her grandmother and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and her mother’s life-long friends. She also went on many summer trips to the coast and Central Oregon with family, often bringing a school friend along to share the fun. Elizabeth was an inquisitive and intense student, and earned two degrees from the University of Oregon, Linguistics (2011) and Psychology (2016), as well as a TSOL certificate for students learning English. She lived mostly in Eugene after high school until 2019, when she moved back to Monmouth, then Corvallis, Detroit, and finally to Salem. She lived with her parents in Monmouth from early July until her passing in August.

Elizabeth followed her own star after her formative years, being interested in Shakras and metaphysical subjects, the environment and organic farming. She spent 6 months in Hawaii volunteering on an organic farm, returning to be in Nicole’s May, 2011 wedding. She was a freelance writer, writing of personal exploration experiences and tales of fairies and other nether-world beings. She participated in writing circles and had a short story published in the anthology On Loss in 2019. She had plans to write a series of modern fairy tales and had drafted multiple stories prior to her passing.

Besides writing, some of Elizabeth’s other passions included being in nature, long drives, hiking and swimming, reading, knitting, contemplating the universe and our place in it, and cuddling with her cat. Her love language was definitely quality time and she most enjoyed getting past the surface small talk and having deep and meaningful discussions. She was extremely observant and loved just being in nature, breathing in fresh air and appreciating her surroundings. She had a special affinity for trees and woodland creatures.

Her loved ones remember her fierce intelligence, how she made them feel seen and accepted, how genuine she was. Elizbeth was decisive and a strong self-advocate and often felt called to speak up for the rights of others as well as for herself. She was sure of her own mind and unafraid to share how she felt, but always open for respectful conversation and discussion. Her beaming smile made anyone recipient feel lucky to have her undivided attention.