Dr. David Perry Loved Family, Patients
In 1972, Dr. David Marcus Perry bought himself a brown Chevrolet Camaro. His son, Steve Perry, said it's the only time he could remember "that Dad did something special for himself."
"He was the type of doctor that left his home phone number in the (phone) book," he said.
Dr. Perry died of cancer Saturday (July 20) in Seattle. He was 69.
The Washington native graduated from McGill University Medical School in Montreal. He served his internship and residency at Seattle's Harborview Medical Center and at the University of Washington Medical Center.
In 1959, he joined the Polyclinic in Seattle, where he spent 37 years as a specialist in internal medicine and infectious diseases.
"Despite caring for some of the sickest patients, he would always maintain a positive attitude," said Dr. Martin Siegel, a Polyclinic colleague.
Before medical school, Dr. Perry graduated from Franklin High School, joined the Navy and returned to Seattle to attend the UW. He later became a clinical professor of medicine at UW.
He was married to Bertie Perry for 42 years. Daughter Jean Corr remembers a busy father spending special moments with his family.
"There were six of us, and we were all over him when he came home," she said. "We didn't realize he probably just got home from a 14-hour day."
Corr said her father loved to take the family on skiing vacations, but his favorite place was the beach. She remembers many summers at Hood Canal, where the family collected hundreds of agates and shells.
"My dad loved to polish those rocks," she said. "Everything we would find Dad would polish."
Dr. Perry is survived by his wife, Bertie; sons Mark Perry of Mount Vernon, Steve Perry of Bainbridge Island, and Tom Perry of Portland; daughters Jean Corr of Seattle and Kathy Hettick of Enumclaw; and 16 grandchildren.
Services are scheduled for 7 p.m. tomorrow at St. Bridget Church, 4900 N.E. 50th St.
Remembrances may be made to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, 1124 Columbia St., Seattle, WA 98104.