Perry

Alice R. Perry of Butler passed away Tuesday at the VNA Inpatient Hospice after declining health.

She was the daughter of the late Frances Jefferson and Nellie (Warner) Bowser.

Alice was kind, gentle, generous, and strong to all those she loved. She crocheted for years, making many afghans, and she delighted in knowing they were in multiple states and countries. Many babies have been swaddled in her blankets. She also crocheted and donated 55 lap robes to the Veterans Hospital in Butler. A flag hangs in the American Legion Post 117, that she made and donated. Nobody ever left her house without a crocheted towel.

She played guitar for many years and called square dances in her younger days. She also entertained friends and family by playing music with her brother, June, and their friends. Her family loved the basement parties with all the wonderful musicians who would gather. It was a happy life.

Alice dearly loved all her family and was so excited to be able to visit Hawaii to see her great-grandson, Ian, in 2004. She also shared many stories of the hardships of growing up during her youth, but also entertained us with the history and characters of the time. She and her husband also gardened and canned many vegetables and fruit in their time.

She was a longtime volunteer for the PARC in Butler and had worked at the A-Penn in East Butler and Woolworth’s in Butler.

She was married to the love of her life, Raymond, on Sept. 28, 1935, and she missed him terribly from the day he died on Nov. 2, 1992. He was always proud of her accomplishments, particularly the many blue ribbons she won at the Butler Fair for her needlework and canned goods. Their love stood the test of time.

She always loved and welcomed her family with open arms no matter what, and for that she is leaving behind many broken hearts.

She was a member of the American Legion Post 117 and the East Butler Fire Hall. She was a Presbyterian and a member of the North Butler Presbyterian Church for many years.

She was the beloved mother to her daughter, Grace Valunsky of Chicora; her two grandchildren, Mary Ann (Herb) Ramage and Sherry (Larry) Reed, both of Butler; her four great-grandchildren, Ian (Michelle) Hollingsworth of Hawaii, and Meredith (Mark) Shansky, Justin (Aimee) Reed and Ryan Ramage, all of Butler; her four great-great-grandchildren, Elise, Goldie and Mila Hollingsworth of Hawaii and Logan Reed of Butler, and her half-sister, Virginia Di Tullio of Butler. She will be greatly missed and fondly remembered by them all. She is also survived by a number of nieces and nephews, and her longtime pen pal, Georgia, in Iowa.

In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by her brothers, Lewis, Francis “June” and half-brother, Gene Bowser; her son-in-law, Edward Valunsky, and her numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.

Perry — Services and burial for Alice R. Perry, who passed away Tuesday, June 24, 2014, will be private in North Butler Presbyterian Cemetery.Contributions may be made to the Butler County Humane Society, 1015 Evans City Road, Renfrew, PA 16053 or to VNA Inpatient Hospice, 115 Technology Drive, Butler, PA 16001.Arrangements are entrusted to the Young Funeral Home, Butler.For more information, go to www.youngfuneralhomes.com.