William Nelson Perry

William Nelson Perry wanted to go home, after a long battle with kidney failure and cancer and short hospital stay, we made that happen for him. When the ambulance crew brought him into the house, his grandson Payton said “Welcome home Grandpa!” and even though dad was unable to communicate, he managed a small smile knowing he was finally home. On April 21, 2017, the day after he came home, William continued his journey and went to join his mother, father, brother, sisters, and daughters in the kingdom of heaven.

Born October 28, 1932 at Ft. Belknap Agency, Montana, William was a hard worker his entire life. William is a Korean War Veteran, after his discharge he worked in the mines of Butte, Montana, and did labor jobs for the majority of his life. He finally ended his working career at Wal-Mart in Polson, Montana where he made many, many friends, and finally retiring as the face of Polson Wal-Mart. That was William though, easy to talk to, quick to make you laugh, and a natural jokester that loved pulling fast ones on people, and if you so happened to be one of the people that he pulled a prank on, then you can rest assured that he thought of you as a friend.

One of William’s favorite things was to see his grandchildren grow, he loved going to events for them such as sporting events, graduations, or just having them all over for dinner or a visit. He wanted nothing but the best for them and for his own children. He also loved pow wows, he danced as a traditional dancer for many years, and then he loved watching his granddaughters dance Jingle, and was very proud of them staying with that Old Style, as he was not a fan of contemporary. He made sure he watched the Grassdancers as well, and would always point out the Old Style dancers, and would also comment through the years how Old Style was being lost it seemed to him.

William was the backbone of this family. His strength and desire to keep the family close was amazing! He will truly be missed by family and friends. Always quick to correct you when you did something wrong, and also quick to learn when it was something he didn’t know. William lived in sobriety for 30+ years. His life knowledge can not be measured, and he made sure and was more than happy to pass on what he knew to the next generations. He loved visiting, loved talking about the old days, loved hearing about the old days.

William was preceded in death by his parents Tom Perry and Maggie Perry, brothers Aaron Perry, Edwin Perry, and Charles Perry, sisters Eleanor Perry, Colleen Perry, and Caroline O’Neil, daughter Esther Perry, and daughter Wilma Perry. He is survived by his brother Fred Perry (Montana), his children Thomas Underdahl (Texas), Cheryl Stiffarm (Montana), Tameria Perry (Wisconsin), Estelle Perry (Wisconsin), Tanya Coulson (Montana), Shane Johnson (Montana), and Joseph Perry (Montana), his grandchildren Vaughn Perry, Terrell Funmaker, Isaiah Funmaker, Crystal Dagdagan, Paul Dagdagan, Sandra WhiteEagle, David Zabawa, Susep Plant, Jarrett Coulson, Jack Rohrbach, Amanda Rohrbach, Alexis Johnson, Thomas Johnson, James Johnson, Courtney Perry, Aaron Perry, Nicole Perry, Taleigha Perry, and Payton Perry. Sabrina Roehrig, Sharon Underdahl, Yolanda Underdahl, Benjamin Underdahl, Daniel Underdahl.

Funeral services were held April 25, 2017 at Spirit of God Ministry, Ronan, MT, followed by cremation at Foster Funeral Home & Crematory, St. Ignatius, MT.

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