THE FUNERAL SERVICES OF DAVE PERRY OF MONA WAS HELD TODAY

If you didn't attend the funeral of Dave Perry earlier today, we have it here. Dave and his wife-Tauna moved to Mona, Utah about 5 or 6 years ago. They purchased the home southeast of the main LDS Chapel in Mona. I used to call it the Molyneaux home as that was where one of our great Juab High Basketball players lived in the late 1950's. When the last resident passed, I hear tell the Perry couple wanted to return to a peaceful town to polish of their 56 years of a blissful togetherness. I never knew the couple, nor their family. But in reading the Anderson Funeral Home Obits. I felt this surge within, that I knew Dave from somewhere, perhaps ions ago. In its reading, I considered him a brother or friend or something unknown hankering me a "had to" pay my respects. I got the impression that he went to Hillcrest High, which would put him in the rural area of Fort Union of Salt Lake County. Like many of us in the Tolley and Jones Family of Nephi, he was said to have "quick wit and cherished the deer hunt  tradition" and that sounds like the Nephi Jones Family, with four brothers and a sister going deer hunting, without a license and no guns! Like Hank Jr. sang, "It's a family tradition". Before our mother passed where Dave is now, she enjoyed it more than anything, as she would pre-fix all the dinners for a year in advance. Back to Dave. During the funeral, I watched body movements of the speakers and the audience, as that often tells more than words. I didn't recognize any of the old Mona names of  Yates; Platt's' Roundy;  Oliver's, Lynns, Newells, Newtons and Kay's, but saw a lot of headstones at the cemetery with those good names. But life changes and so does the people that come to graze amidst those who have past. Dave was a devout member of the LDS Church, and I didn't have to ask his bishop, even though he too had a last name that identified where he roamed in from. Dave served a mission as a young man, then went on two others with his eternal compaanion-Tauna. They had 6 kids, and like the Nephi Jones family, their daughter-Emily turned out the best, or so they think. For sure they were all taught the importance of work, and as Dave loved gardens, the kids were small when Daddy started to teach them how to work before play, and they hated to pull weeds from the garden, but in latter years Daddy had a perfect garden, and all the kids learned the importance of working hard. Once, one of the sons didn't do as requested by his mother, and said "wait til your Dad comes home". When Dave came home, he took the son to his bedroom and took of his belt and smacked........the pillow. Tauna came running in to save their son, but no harm, no foul, and Daddy taught the son......"Don't ever do that again". When the Nephi Jones boys were bad, our Mom told Dad, and the only thing he did was remove his belt, and point to the coal shed. We too learned respect, and so did each one of those Perry kids. Dave found the good in all and easy to like. If you think about it he exemplified that spirit which Jesus had when he walked and talked on earth. For those folks of Mona who got to know this family on their arrival in Juab County, cherish the friendship and keep that family happy attempting to make home made peach pie just like Dave did. In order for this writer to pass High School English, Mrs. Lomax told me if I could memorize the Gettysburg address and say it word perfect in front of the Speech Class I would pass English. 60 Years later, me and three work collogues were in Washington D.C. for meetings, but spent a day at Gettysburg. Without fanfare, I walked up to where Abe Lincoln gave  that speech, and recited it without practice. Tourists gathered in the bleachers, thinking I was a paid actor. Nope, just like Dave did every July 4th, we both love and respect this great country of America. The spirit of Dave Perry will live deep in the souls of many of us. He was and remains one heck of a great man to God, his family and to this writer who could feel his impact who never met him, but love him as a brother.

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