Obituary of Jeanne Emilia Perry

Jeanne Emilia Perry (Stonebrook), born January 17, 1943, to Armas and Edith (Spooner) Stonebrook in New London, Connecticut went to be with our Lord on March 28, 2024, in Manvel, Texas.

Jeanne is preceded in death by her parents, her husband of 55 years Merle John Perry, her two brothers, John Rusnak and Robert Rusnak and her sister, Mary Beth Rusnak.

Jeanne is survived by her children Michael (Maren) Perry of Baytown, Texas, Matthew (Cindy) Perry of Friendswood, Texas, Tam (Richard) Perry of Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Tiffany (Brett) Podolsky of Houston, Texas. She is also survived by her brother David Rusnak of Hamburg, New York and her cousin, Bonnie Mandes of The Villages, Florida. She has eight grandchildren: Matthew II (Leslie), Kolby, James (Brianna), Emma, Jake, Ben, Zack, and Quinn, and a great grandchild, Emmerich. She is survived by her beloved cat, Callie.

Jeanne graduated from Seminole High School in Sanford, Florida. Shortly after high school, Jeanne joined the United States Air Force, served her country proudly as a medic for four years and was honorably discharged in 1965. She loved her time in the Air Force.

While in the Air Force, Jeanne met Merle Perry. They married in 1963 and had a loving marriage for 55 years. Jeanne was a lifelong homemaker; she and Merle lived in New Jersey and later moved to Spring, Texas in 1979 where they raised their children. They spent much time with their grandchildren in their home as well. Jeanne loved gardening and took pride in her home gardening skills. Her home in Spring had a lovely garden and was awarded “Garden of the Month”.

Jeanne was a devoted mother and grandmother who loved hosting family events (especially Thanksgiving) with lots of cooking. She did lots of activities with her grandchildren when they were younger. She loved to cook, and nobody was ever hungry when they visited her home.

She was involved in helping children orphaned in the Vietnam War. Later, she started working with children in Guatemala. She was passionate about working with Mi Casa, a Guatemalan organization benefiting orphaned and needy children. She was involved in Mi Casa from the very beginning in 1976 and helped establish the charter in the United States. She made many trips to Guatemala over the years and brought much needed supplies to the children. One of Mi Casa’s founders said Jeanne was an angel who changed thousands of children’s lives.

Jeanne moved to Manvel, Texas in 2022. She put her gardening skills to use and created a beautiful yard in her new home. She loved her screened patio full of lovingly tended plants. Her cat, Callie, also enjoyed spending time there. She became active at the Serenity at Meridiana community. She embraced her new community and made new friends whom she had fun communicating with in group chats. Jeanne loved attending the community’s events and activities.

She also became a member of New Hope Church in Pearland. She very much enjoyed attending weekly services with her son, Matt, and her neighbors. A lifelong reader, she also loved the Manvel library. All the staff and volunteers knew her by name and would always have new books for her to read.

Jeanne was also known for her love of animals and had many dogs throughout her life, including her beloved dog, Suzy. After Suzy passed, Jeanne rescued an orphaned 8-week-old kitten that she found outside of her home during the Covid-19 pandemic – truly saving each other during the pandemic. Jeanne named the kitten Callie, and they had a very special bond. Callie followed Jeanne everywhere at home; she even had her a special window in her guest room. They loved each other dearly. Callie will live with her daughter in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Interment services with honors will be held mid-May 2024 at the Houston National Cemetery 10410 Veterans Memorial Drive, Houston, Texas 77038; followed by a Celebration of Life. Details forthcoming.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to by check to the following organizations:

Mi Casa (micasaonline.org) – Jeanne has been involved with for 45 years.
Check payable to:
Mi Casa
P.O Box 02-5368
Miami, FL 33102

Manvel Public Library – Donations will benefit library programming.
Check payable to:
Manvel Community Library Association:
20514 Hwy 6, Manvel, TX 77578.
Memo Line: in memory of Jeanne Perry