Obituary

John Lee "Pop" Perley, 89, went home to be with the Lord on Friday, Sept. 19, 2014 at Asbury Park. He had spent the evening surrounded by family.

He was born to Henry and Ona May (Plunkett) Perley on May 28, 1925 in Clifton Hill, MO. He graduated from Salisbury High, in Salisbury, MO in 1943. On September 5th, that year he married Bonnie Mae Sellers. He also joined the United States Navy in 1943, where he served until 1949. After returning from the service he was a milkman. John and Bonnie were blessed with three children, Marilyn, Michael and Michelle.  John and Bonnie lived in Salisbury, MO, until 1954, and then they moved to Newton. They lived in town for 30 years before moving to a farm east of Elbing where they stayed for 27 more years. While in Newton, John worked for several manufacturing firms and as a carpenter. John spent the last 10 years of his working career as a custodian at Remington High School, Whitewater. They relocated to North Newton for eight years until Bonnie's death in 2009. John moved to Asbury Park in 2013.

John loved spending time with family, gardening and watching sporting events. John's favorite day of the week was Sunday, because he enjoyed attending church and having an extended family lunch. In the summer, he also enjoyed going to the lake and spending time with family and close friends. John was a gentle giant who always put family first. He was a member of the Federated Church in Whitewater, KS, and will be missed by everyone who knew him.

John is survived by a daughter, Michelle Solomon (Joe Solomon) of Newton. John had seven grandchildren: Carla and Pat Ryan, Cathy and Mark Willis, Callie and Mike Hill, Jamie and Dave Cope, Jennifer and Bob Baugher, Jessica and Jeremy LeDuc. Grandson Jeremy Solomon preceded him in death in 2008. He had 16 great-grandchildren and two great great-grandchildren.  John was preceded in death by his parents, two sisters, daughter Marilyn Hinz (Carney) in 2009 and son Michael Perley in 2012 and grandson Jeremy John Solomon in 2008.

Visitation will be from 5:00 to 9:00 pm Wednesday (Sept. 24) at Petersen Funeral Home, 215 N. Main St. in Newton, with family present 6:00 to 8:00 pm. Funeral services will be at 10:00 am Thursday, September 25, 2014 at Federated Church in Whitewater, with Pastor Steve Bowman presiding, and burial will follow at Fairmount Lonestar Cemetery.  Afterwards there will be a luncheon at the Federated Church in Whitewater.  In lieu of flowers, the family requests a memorial has been established for the Federated Church of Whitewater, Kansas.