Funeral Arrangements: Dr. Michael McConnell Perry

Kim Westerfield Perry, 42, and Dr. Michael Perry, 43, were taken from this world on August 14, 2016. Their deaths have left an irreplaceable void throughout Mississippi. A rosary service and funeral mass will be held Monday, August 22, 2016, at 11:00 at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church with Father Joe Tonos officiating. Burial will follow in Oxford Memorial Cemetery. Visitation will be prior to the services beginning at 10:00 A.M. at the church. Waller Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Michael & Kim Perry.

Kim and Michael were sweethearts at the age of fourteen and graduated from Brandon High School before entering the University of Mississippi. Both graduated from Ole Miss. Kim attended the University of Mississippi Nursing School in Jackson where she received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and went on to obtain a Master of Science from Texas Woman’s University and a Post Master’s degree as a Family Nurse Practitioner from Mississippi University for Women. Michael attended the University of Mississippi School of Dentistry. He graduated with a Doctor of Dental Medicine degree and was accepted for post doctorate training at the Baylor College of Dentistry where he received his Masters of Science degree in Periodontics. Kim and Michael married in Brandon, MS in 1997.

While undergraduates at Ole Miss, Kim and Michael were active on campus. Kim was a member of Kappa Delta and Michael was a member of Kappa Sigma where he served as president and was awarded the Henry N. Rockwell Scholarship for Leadership and Academics.

Upon completion of their education, Kim and Michael returned to Oxford, MS, where Michael established his periodontal practice and Kim was employed as a nurse practitioner at the University of Mississippi Health Center. Michael eventually opened offices in Oxford, Southaven, Collierville, East Memphis, and Cordova/Bartlett. They quickly immersed themselves in serving others in the Oxford community and beyond. Kim was involved as secretary of Oxford Intermediate School Parents Association and President of Oxford Middle School Parents Association. In addition, she served on the Kappa Delta House Corporation, participated in Meals on Wheels and the Junior Auxiliary. Outside of his practice, Michael dedicated his energy and resources to the development of the Oxford-Lafayette Sportsplex. It is a 73-acre sports complex dedicated to competitive baseball, softball, soccer and football. They personally funded and developed the Sportsplex because, in the words of their son, John West, “he thought that every kid should have a place to play sports.” Their daughter Sarah felt she and her brother and sister were most important to them, as they supported all of their activities. Sarah recalled the personal satisfaction of joining her dad and brother on the ten day dental mission trips to the Dominican Republic. “She was a highly respected and compassionate nurse practitioner who touched the lives of many students and peers. We are all in a state of shock.”

Kim and Michael Perry were an important part of the Oxford schools and community, Ole Miss, as well as their parish, St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church. Long time Oxford dentist, Dr. Walker Swaney said of Michael, “He was way beyond his peers. Nobody could touch him technically and his patients loved him and he loved them. In this area, there was no one who was at his level professionally. He will be greatly missed.” Dr. Travis Yates, Director of the University Health Center spoke of Kim, “She was a highly respected and compassionate nurse practitioner who touched the lives of many students and peers. We are all in a state of shock.”

Kim and Michael are survived by their three children Sarah McConnell (13), John West (12), and Anna Reed (7), their mothers Debbie Westerfield of Brandon, MS and Patsy Perry of Little Rock, AR, Kim’s grandmothers Bobbie Black of Madison, MS and Willie Mae Westerfield of Morton, MS, Kim’s brother Brad Westerfield of London, UK, Michael’s brother Robert Perry and his wife Ashley of Memphis, TN, his nephew Knox, nieces Ada Grace, Lucy, and Annie Perry of Memphis, TN. They also leave aunts, uncles, and cousins who love them dearly.

Kim was preceded in death by her father, Mel Westerfield of Brandon, MS and grandfathers Randolph Black and Floyd Westerfield. Michael was preceded in death by his father Phillip Perry, grandparents Anne and William M. Robertson of Little Rock, AR, grandparents Lola and Lawrence Perry of North Little Rock, AR.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in memory of the Perry’s may be made to St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church Building Fund, 416 South Fifth Street, Oxford, MS 38655 or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105-1905.

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