Irma Ortega Perry, age 82, a Nashville resident since 1971, passed away on Sunday, July 28, 2024.
She was born to humble Mexican parents, Juan Jose Ortega and Guadalupe Ortega, on October 27, 1941 in Laredo, Texas.
She is survived by her loving husband, William A. Perry a retired TSU economics professor, son, Willian A. Perry, Jr, daughter, Laura Sylvia Lytton and granddaughter, Lillyana Louise Lytton, and a host of cousins in Laredo Texas.
Irma was married for 61 years. She dedicated her life to her family and helping others. Irma was a 30 year breast cancer survivor. She lived life to the fullest, happy, active, pain free, and communicative all the way to the end of her life. And she loved Toastmasters and the color red.
Irma’s story is an American success story. Irma’s mother, a hairdresser, encouraged Irma to become a teacher because many teachers came into her shop and she believed the world would always need good teachers and being a teacher would be a good stable career.
Irma attended Texas Woman’s University. After her sophomore year she married, moved to Oklahoma, and had a son. She then graduated from the University of Oklahoma two years later and started teaching in Moore Oklahoma. In 1965 she moved to Des Moines Iowa with her husband where she attended Drake University, had a second child and completed her MA in Education. Irma moved to Nashville with her husband in 1971.
In Tennessee, she first worked in Millersville school district where she taught special needs education children and she participated in the Migrant Education Program (MEP) where she taught migrant children. She enjoyed engaging the children in ways to have fun while learning like using parachutes from Fort Campbell for parachute play. She motivated parents, school lunch staff, migrants and students to get involved in after school programs.
Education for Irma was not just about learning. It was about having fun while learning and helping others succeed.
Irma completed a doctoral education degree at UTK and later completed programming courses. She held positions at the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, COBOL programming for Nashville Electric Service, and then retired from Vanderbilt (software/programming for financial management) after 30 years.
During her career at the Nashville Electric Service, she began attending Toastmasters International meetings. Irma felt this organization was her calling – learning to improve your speaking while having fun and helping others improve.
She rapidly achieved the Distinguished Toastmaster award. She performed all club officer duties and proceeded to hold district and region offices. To ensure more volunteers for a talent show she signed up first to dress as a 20s flapper girl and lip sync “Diamonds are a Girls Best Friend”. Irma was elected at the international meeting to be on the Toastmaster International Board of Directors in 1996-97 and continued to attend Toastmasters meeting throughout the rest of her life.
Irma’s career was exceptional, but spending time with her family was something she always loved. She cherished making memories with her children and enjoying their birthday parties or Mexican fiestas even creating piñatas out of paper mache. At times they would be hard for the children to crush making it extra exciting.
Flowers can be delivered to Marshall-Donnelly-Combs Funeral Home on Thursday, August 8th.
Irma supported many organizations — predominantly related to children and women. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the following organizations.
St Joseph’s Indian school at Home – St. Joseph’s Indian School (stjo.org)
Operation Smile at Operation Smile https://www.operationsmile.org/meet-our-patients?form
Women for Women International Women for Women International https://www.googleadservices.com/pagead/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChcSEwjlvpjNyNaHAxXM1MIEHRkzCQcYABABGgJwdg&ae=2&co=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI5b6YzcjWhwMVzNTCBB0ZMwkHEAAYASAAEgIN9PD_BwE&ohost=www.google.com&cid=CAASJeRomJIauQtiFzbKkFtXgtGv58dZuYHjvBa8OMu2hFtygfTs4gM&sig=AOD64_0Z3ItxePBhMQsTLSU_UxfGgbrEyA&q&adurl&ved=2ahUKEwjL35PNyNaHAxXeAjQIHfu_EvEQ0Qx6BAgWEAE
Visitation and a Celebration of life will be held at Christ the King Catholic Church, 3001 Belmont Ave, 37212, Friday, August 9th at 9:00 am followed by mass at 10:00 am and internment in Calvary Cemetery located at 1001 Lebanon Pike, Nashville, TN 37210.
Online condolences may be made at Irma Perry Obituary – Nashville, TN (https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/nashville-tn)
For more obituaries visit https://davidsoncountysource.com/obituaries/
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