Mr. Pervis "Perry" Jackson

On June 4, 1974, the Great Architect of this world blessed a beautiful young family with their fourth and youngest child, Pervis LaVall Jackson “Perry/Pee”. Felton “Sonny” Lewis Jackson II (father) and Mary “Liz” Elizabeth Holman (mother) had no idea that their baby boy would become such a powerful force of nature. Most parents can only dream that their child will become a person of good character. Perry checked all the boxes. Perry was intelligent, charismatic, immensely independent, loyal, strong, and loving. Perry had a beautiful soul that touched so many lives. Perry drew his incredible strength from his family. His grandparents were a vital part of his upbringing. Perry’s paternal grandparents, Glen “Bub” and Clara “Granny” Jackson would teach Perry “their Booze” the importance of generosity and community, and that love and family always comes first. His maternal grandparents, Garver “Granddaddy” and Canary “Big Mama” Holman would teach Perry “Canary’s Pae Pae” the importance and the value of hard work and that family is an obligation with great responsibility. Perry’s parents would part ways when he was young, but as their family dynamics changed, two more blessings would be added to his family. Perry’s father married his stepmother Minnie, and she would bring another older sibling to join the family. And very soon after, Perry and his new brother were given the names Gasoline and Matches by Granny, for obvious reasons. Perry’s four older siblings would help guide him through his childhood and teenage years. Perry and his older brothers, Felton “Chico” (Joy), James “Jamie/Jack” (Angela), Larry “Bug/Sticks”, and his sister Glenda “Shawn/Sugah” formed and cemented a strong, loyal, and loving bond that would last a lifetime. With Perry and his siblings’ bond being so strong, it was no surprise that once he became Uncle Pee/Perry he would love his siblings’ offspring like they were his own. His nephew Kylan “Kylanente” would fill his heart with an abundance of love and joy, becoming his little partner. He was also Uncle Pee/Perry to Shamriel, Dominique, Tevaun, Teondrae, and Jasmine. It truly takes a village and Perry had one growing up. His uncles Larry Holman (Gloria) (both deceased), Eual Holman (Renail), and Edward Holman sometimes provided hilarious babysitting services for Perry and his siblings. With Aunts Shirley Thomas (Fred-deceased), Karen “Kasey” Swan, and Sharry Hammond (Punch-deceased), he developed his own unique bond with each of them. Family barbecues were a childhood staple for Perry and his siblings. He absolutely loved spending time with his great Aunts. Trying to figure out who to greet with the first kiss was the hardest part: would it be Aunt Helen, or Aunt Lois, or Aunt Peggy, or Aunt Barbara (Walter)? And the kissing game became even harder if Aunt Lillie was in town on vacation from Hot Springs, Arkansas with Uncle Junior; not to mention if Perry and his siblings arrived late to the barbecue and Aunt Bobbie or Moms “Phyllis” were also present. There was always an abundance of hugs and kisses to go around. Perry had no shortage of cousins growing up. On the Holman side of the family his first cousins, Chance and Tonnie were practically an everyday presence in his childhood life. Perry also enjoyed spending time with his first cousins Freddell, Ronnie, Corey, Larry “Red”, Michelle, Valle, and Teisha. On the Jackson side Perry had a special kinship with his cousin Cheryl, and when his cousin Kandi was born, she took over his “baby of the family spot” and became his and his siblings’ baby sister. On the flip side of that Perry also had older cousins who were like honorary uncles and aunties: Cookie, Clyde, Deborah, Eloise, and Ronnie. June and Buster (deceased) Gordon along with Lola Murphy were loving neighbors/family of Perry. And to keep the family gatherings fun and eventful, big cousins Kenny, Kerry, Potsey, Trent, and Pam were always around for entertainment. Some of Perry’s cousins/playmates growing up were Chucky, Keisha, Jay, Fenell, Kris, Lynn, and Shondra, along with neighbors/family Eric and Deanna, and the Murphy brothers: Sheldon, Brandon, Preston, and Justin. Then there were the Arkansas cousins who would come to visit for summer vacations from time to time: cousins Sonya, Rodney, Stephanie, Kenney, Shawnie, and Kevin (deceased). Some of the younger cousins coming up, who Perry bonded with, becoming a big brother/uncle figure to were Kerrington, Arie, and RJ. There were other out-of-state cousins that Perry spent time with over the years at family gatherings like John John and his mother Joyce. Perry was blessed to reconnect with his cousin Marc and build a special kinship with him and his mother, Dee Dee. He also spent time with cousins Bae Bae and Jay. It wasn’t until adulthood that Perry was able to meet and start to form a family bond with a few of Aunt Mattie’s grandchildren: Freddy, Zee and Khadejia. Perry would grow and thrive throughout his childhood. He attended schools within the Buena Vista School District for his early education, making lifelong friends along the way. Perry was an athlete and honor student. During his high school years, Perry began to find his voice and became a strong student advocate. In 1992 Perry graduated Buena Vista High School with honors. There were cherished friendships that Perry made throughout his school years to include Terrence Spiller, Tammy Johnson, Terry Jackson, Deidra Conway, Deanna Jackson, Tonia Baston, Tiffany Jackson, Adriann Lewis-Freeman, Joy Jackson, Ruquel McKinney-Atchison, Frank Smith, honorary big brother Donyea Jones and honorary big sister Shasta Mounger to name a few. After high school Perry briefly attended Western Michigan University before joining the United States Air Force. He served his country proudly for nearly eight years as an airman in the Air Force, with duty at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and later at Langley Air Force Base in Hampton, Virginia. After his Air Force service, Perry settled in Hampton and joined the civilian workforce. He obtained a job working as a pharmacy tech. The next big chapter in Perry’s life, began with a move to Richmond, where he made a job switch to UPS. He grew with the company, learning the logistics and where his skillsets would be best suited for the company and for himself. “Perry was very Self-Aware!” He rose through the ranks as a top performer before eventually joining the management team. Over the next twelve years UPS became his second home, and his fellow co-workers became his extended family. Perry enjoyed the camaraderie he developed with his co-workers, to include the truck drivers. He especially developed a great working partnership (“UPSiblings”) with Shameka Gibson that turned into true friendship. Perry would also grow other long-lasting friendships with Johnnie “Earl” Muse and his sister Barb. They became his Richmond family, attending many of their family gatherings and spending holidays together as well. This friendship became a source of great strength and comfort to Perry helping to sustain him through some difficult times. Later in Perry’s adulthood he celebrated certain accomplishments, like the spiritual one of becoming an ordained minister. His relationship with God began to grow even deeper, along with his understanding of God’s word. Perry also suffered heartbreaking family loses, like the passing of both his paternal and both his maternal sets of grandparents. With such a devastating void being left within his family, Perry drew from a deep, inner strength and became his family’s strong center core they needed to help ground them. Even though he was the youngest child, Perry took the lead for his family ensuring all was well and all was taken care of. “Anyone can give up, it’s the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that’s true strength.” – Anonymous In 2015 Perry developed heart disease, which progressed quickly and sent him through various ups and downs. After receiving an LVAD (left ventricular assist device), Perry would spend the next 19 months in rehabilitation (hospital and home), strengthening himself for a major heart transplant surgery, should the right donor match become available. In November of 2016, Perry was blessed with a new heart and a new lease on life. Throughout the next years, Perry would experience health setbacks with his heart, but he remained mentally steady and strong for himself and for his family. Perry was determined to live a fulfilling life and that he did! Before the dawn of July 19, 2022, the Great Architect of this world, after blessing us with forty-eight years of those gorgeous brown eyes and that big, beautiful smile, carried his young son, Pervis LaVall Jackson home to paradise. Funeral service will take place at 11:00 a.m. Friday, July 29, 2022 at New Mt. Calvary Missionary Baptist Church, 3610 Russell St., Saginaw, MI 48601. Pastor Alfred L. Harris, Jr., Host Pastor and Rev. Tamara Johnson will officiate. Interment is in Eastlawn Memorial Gardens, 7475 Holland Rd., Saginaw, MI 48601.

Mr. Pervis "Perry" Jackson

June 4, 1974 - July 19, 2022