Fred Gerald Pera, Jr. of
Huntsville, AL passed away
on Sunday, April 2, 2017 after
a long battle with cancer.
Born and raised in
Pittsburg, CA he was the
son of the late Fred G. Pera
and Bessie Mary Evola.
After graduating from
Pittsburg high school in
1956 he earned his BS in
Electrical Engineering from
Oregon State in 1961. Upon
graduation he enlisted in
the army, based out of Fort
Meade, Maryland, where he
traveled throughout Europe
and Asia supporting Army
Defense Systems. After 3
years of service he continued
his work with Defense
Command as a civilian and
transferred to Huntsville.
It was there that he met
his wife Dianne Meadors
and they were married on
September 21, 1968 in her
hometown of Harlan, KY.
They had two daughters,
Jennifer Lynn and Leslie Ann.
Fred retired after 31 years as
a dedicated and respected
Civil Servant. He continued
his career with COLSA, Inc.
where he and Dianne spent
two years in Saudi Arabia
supporting COLSA's efforts
with the Saudi military. They
returned to Huntsville where
he finished his professional
career.
Once in retirement he
turned his attention to his
personal passions. He was an
artist at heart and enjoyed
creating beauty in many
forms. He loved photography,
painting, music, and cooking,
but his main passion was
gardening. He created and
cared for many gardens at
his home. From vegetables to
roses, orchids to bonsais, he
had a gift for making things
grow.
He is survived by his wife
Dianne Pera, daughters
Jennifer Jenkins and Leslie
Cobb, son-in-law Charlie
Cobb, grandchildren Jacob,
Matthew, Lane, Will, and his
younger brother Ronald Pera
of Seattle, WA.
Visitation will be held at
Holy Spirit Catholic Church
on Airport Road Thursday,
April 6 from 9-10 am with
funeral mass immediately
following from 10-11 am. In
lieu of flowers, memorials
may be made to the
Huntsville Botanical Gardens
or Clearview Cancer Institute.
Berryhill Funeral Home
assisted the family.