Bernice Perry

Bernice Hawkins was born in Eufaula, Alabama to Fed and Geneva Hawkins on November 2, 1935. On July 23, 1955, Bernice married Willie Frank Perry in Chicago, Illinois. She was a loving mother who cared, provided and lived for her family. That loving nature even extended to the care of children outside her family. Being an extremely kind and generous woman, Bernice would, on many occasions, put the needs of others in front of her own. She would give you her last slice of bread, the clothes off her back and her last dollar while apologizing for not being able to do more. The love, kindness and generosity she displayed was her nature and was multiplied by her faith in being a baptized sister of Jehovah's Witnesses. She believed in consistent study of the truth and preaching it when ever she could. She could be sick in bed on the night of a congregation meeting and would be upset that she could not make it. When the ability to listen to the meetings via the telephone hookup was made available, she welcomed the idea but still wanted to be there in person. Bernice loved to read and play a multitude of games. It was told, as a child, she was made fun of by other children because as they played, she could be found sitting under a tree reading. She read herself into the being in the top ten of her graduating class and National Honor Society Member at Crane High School. As an adult, her library collection included a few Bibles, numerous books and publications pertaining to her faith, several editions of encyclopedias and various natural health books. Each could be found with several highlighted passages of interest for later reflection or education. Although she played numerous games, Scrabble was her game of choice. There would always be an extended invitation to play with her. If you invited her to your home, she would ask if she could bring the game; the deluxe Scrabble turntable board and the Scrabble dictionary. On Wednesday, December 9, 2015, Bernice fell asleep in death at the age of 80. She was preceded in death by her husband, Willie Frank Sr., her brother, Sonny Hawkins and her sons, Lorenzo and Willie Frank Jr. Bernice leaves to cherish her fond and loving memories, 2 sons, Michael Anthony (Sheila Perry) and Richard Lee Eric; 4 daughters, Glenda Marie, Janice Melinda, Donnella and Deidre Narrissa; 21 grandchildren, 20 great grandchildren and a host of other relatives and friends.

Tributes

Bernice Perry

November 2, 1935 - December 9, 2015