Cornelius Perry Obituary

Cornelius Durrel Perry Jr. , affectionately known by Durrel to his family and Perry to the rest of the world, passed away at Emory University Hospital on April 16, in Atlanta, Georgia. He was born November 28, 1971, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, to Geraldine S. Perry and Cornelius Durrel Perry Sr. He grew up in Ann Arbor; Houston, Texas; Huntsville, Alabama; and Alameda, California. As he grew older, so did his passion for acting. He studied at North Harris College, getting an Associate's degree in Theatre. Time spent with his Southern families designed him; and his life in both New York and Los Angeles defined him. Lasting family bonds were formed with his grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins every holiday in Birmingham and Opelika, Alabama. And in New York, he helped to open, and bartended at, the most exclusive restaurants in New York, and had his Off-Off Broadway debut as assistant director of The Little Prince, among other acting roles. In New York he also made some of the absolute best friends in the world. New York was his soul-city, so to speak. Further acting pursuits took him to Los Angeles, where he worked in film, television, and voiceover. Sports like tennis, cycling, and the Beautiful Game (aka football or soccer) brought him great joy throughout his life. As did a beautiful cabernet at the end of the evening. He was preceded in death by his grandparents Neida (aka Mudear) and Daniel Perry; and Ozell and John Sims; and his aunts Phyllis Paxton (Herb), Sylvia Perry, and Barbara Harris; and uncles Willie Sims and Robert Sims. He is survived by his son Ciaran Perry, his mother Dr. Geraldine Perry-Allen (Milton), his father Cornelius, his sister Cat; Monica Coyle, the mother of his son; his aunts Olivia Dennis, Aritha Banks (Broderick), Barbara Boles (Vern), Virginia Sims, Dr. Theresa Perry, Reva Saunders, Regina Stephens (Roy), Yvonne Robison, Dr. Jacqueline Perry, Thelma Perry Brown (William), Cathy Houston (Baryon); his uncles John Sims (Meredith) and Eugene Perry (Carolyn); and host cousins and other relatives. His friends Jeff Branson, Aaron Putnam, Brandon Wengrynek, Vicki Thomlinson, Alicia Barone, Andrea Silverman, Carolyn Kosmas and so, so, so many others from his time in New York and L. A are left to mourn his life and his extraordinary love. The family would like to thank the many people who supported them through prayers, time by his bedside, contributions to GoFundMe, and other contributions large and small. A special thanks also to the medical staff at Emory, who took care of him during his long hospital stay. His Celebration of Life Memorial service will be held at H. M. Patterson & Son-Oglethorpe Hill Chapel, 4550 Peachtree Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30319.