AUGUSTA – Benedict Edward Perry, 89, a lifelong resident of North Vassalboro, passed away Saturday, Nov. 19, at the Mane Veterans Home in Augusta, following a lengthy illness, his loving family by his side.

Born Aug. 30, 1916, in North Vassalboro, to Charles E. and Leah Perry, Ben attended grammar school there and graduated from Winslow High School in 1935. He was a gifted athlete and prominent semiprofessional baseball player in the 1930s.

A World War II veteran and true patriot, Ben served our country from 1940 to 1945 as a member of Company G, 103rd Infantry, 43rd Division, Maine National Guard.

He saw action in the South Pacific from 1943 to 1945 in such places as Guadalcanal, New Guinea, Munda, the Solomon Islands and the Philippines, receiving a commission from private to first lieutenant in the field.

He was a lifetime member of the Winslow VFW Post, where he was a founder and charter member of the special funeral detail firing squad. He was also a member and past commander, for many years, of the Ronco-Goodale American Legion Post 126 of North Vassalboro.

He retired from Scott Paper Co., formerly Hollingsworth & Whitney, in 1978 after 40 years of service. He was first employed in 1937 as a machine operator in the pulp mill, promoted to foreman in 1948, and in 1956 became a shift supervisor. After the closing of the pulp mill in 1977, he transferred to Bulk Handling as a supervisor of materials and supply, a position he held at the time of his retirement.

He is survived by the love of his life, his wife of 59 years, Marie (Veilleux) Perry; two sons, Reginald Perry and wife, Julia, of Clinton, Douglas Perry and wife, Gail, of Vassalboro; a daughter, Cynthia Brown and husband, Michael, of Chesapeake, Va.; grandchildren, Tyler Brown of Vassalboro, Allison Brown of Chesapeake, Va., Shawn Savage of Caribou, and Shannon Savage of Fairfield; one sister, Lea Banton and husband, Walter, of Palermo.

He was predeceased by two brothers, Wardell and Theodore Perry; and two sisters, Claudia Bowen and Jestel Perry.

The family would like to express thanks and gratitude to the staff of the Maine Veterans Home in Augusta for the excellent care and compassion that Ben received while a resident there.

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