Dr. Perry

Dr. James H. Perry, 1970-2018
Dr. James (Jim) H. Perry, a businessman and father who was devoted to his children, wife, friends, and patients, passed away on May 20, 2018 surrounded by his family, after a long hard-fought battle with stage 4 colon cancer. He was 48.

Jim was born in Fremont, California, on April 27, 1970, the youngest child of Mary and James H. Perry, Jr. The family eventually moved to Arlington Heights, Illinois, where Jim attended Prospect High School and developed an abiding interest in music, learning to play piano and trombone and participating in band, orchestra, and choir. In 1988, he enrolled at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, where he sang with the Viking Chorus and met his future wife, Marie Louise Fritz, an artist and author. (The couple married in 1994.)

Jim graduated from St. Olaf in 1992 with a double major in chemistry and biology and went on to attend the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry, earning his D.D.S. in 1996. Following graduation, Jim and Marie, along with their newborn son, Neil, returned to Minnesota, where Jim began his career as a dentist--first in Byron, and later in Northfield, where he practiced at Serenity Dental Arts for more than 12 years. In 2010, Jim and Marie relocated to Wisconsin, where he joined the group dental practices of OakPark Dental in Platteville and Mineral Point Family Dentistry in Mineral Point.

Jim's love and care for patients was evident in his amazing bedside manner, calm, and positive outlook. His low-key manner put patients at ease, and his dry wit never failed to amuse his coworkers and family. He listened carefully, responded thoughtfully, and worked diligently to build his business and achieve the goals he set for himself. He loved spending time outdoors, on lakes, and in the woods. He forged deep friendships with those he encountered along life's path and was deeply respected in the communities where he worked.

Jim will be forever remembered with abiding love by his wife of 23 years, Marie, and his three beautiful children, Neil (22), Amalia (16), and Aidan (10). Jim always put his family first, and his children were the center of his life. He encouraged them to pursue their dreams and believe in their capacity to reach their goals, no matter how challenging.

Jim will also be remembered fondly by his parents James and Mary, his sister Lynn Perry, sisters-in-law Esther Kuntz and Malin Walrod, brothers-in-law Walter Kuntz and David Walrod, and his nieces and nephew.

A celebration of Jim's life will be held at 1 p.m., on Tuesday, May 29, 2018 at St. Luke's Lutheran Church, 7337 Hubbard Ave., Middleton, Wisconsin, with interment to be determined later this summer in Oak Lawn Cemetery, Northfield, Minnesota. Visitation will be from 11:00 a.m. until the time of services on Tuesday at church.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be sent to Marie Perry to establish an educational fund for his children.