James Rodney "J.R." Perry

James Rodney Perry, 74, passed away peacefully at Alive Hospice Nashville on Sunday, August 16th. Mr. Perry was a lifelong public servant, retiring from the Tennessee Highway Patrol having achieved the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He was devoted to his family, former colleagues and friends along with his church families from Hermitage Hills Baptist and Charlotte First Baptist. J.R., as he was called by his close friends, was born on September 21, 1951, in Trion, Georgia the son of William Arthur Perry of Somerville, Georgia and Vera Eugenia Stringer of Ft. Payne, Alabama. He grew up in the Virginia Highlands neighborhood of midtown Atlanta where he was a star athlete at Henry Grady High School. Mr. Perry then attended Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk, North Carolina on a football scholarship before serving in the United States Army where he was stationed in Huntsville, Alabama at Redstone Arsenal. While in the Army, Mr. Perry married his first wife Cathy Clark of Atlanta, Georgia and Franklin, Tennessee. Upon completion of his military duty, Mr. Perry went to work for the Gwinnett County Police Department near Atlanta for two years before moving to Tennessee to work for the Highway Patrol. Starting in 1977, he was first stationed in Clarksville before moving to the Franklin Post where he worked until transferring to the Training Division. After moving to Nashville Mr. Perry married the former Minka Casey of East Nashville in the fall of 1994. In addition to his work as a trooper on the Highway Patrol, Lt. Col. Perry also was a valued instructor for many years at the THP Training Center where he led and instructed hundreds of future patrolmen including his son, James Matthew Perry, the current Colonel of the Tennessee Highway Patrol. Lt. Col. Perry retired in 2010 before serving as the head of security at the United States Federal Courthouse Building in Nashville. In his early adult years, Mr. Perry was an excellent softball player, noted for hitting towering bombs. He was an avid golfer, and motorcycle enthusiast. He also enjoyed watching football on television, eating fast food, singing aloud to Motown music in the car and bragging about how big his biceps and calves were. Pop, as he was affectionately called by his grandchildren, loved his family as he frequently attended their games, school plays, graduation ceremonies and any event where they were being honored. Showing up was his love language. He particularly got much joy in passing out those small packages to the Dorris, Reagan and Perry kids at Christmastime after doling out tins of his homemade nuts and bolts. In more recent years Mr. Perry could be found working tirelessly at the Hermitage Hills Baptist Church food pantry. He also was proud of a role that he played in the Christmas play just eight months ago at his current church, Charlotte First Baptist. He was also just as happy eating a country breakfast at Gilly’s as he was mowing grass on the farm in Charlotte or looking after his trusted companion, Boomer. In addition Mr. Perry will also be greatly missed on the campus of Montgomery Bell Academy where he became a familiar face to many in the stands at football games and beside the pole vault pit at track meets. J.R. never met a stranger and his barrel chest and long white beard in his later life was an outward manifestation of an often larger than life personality. He created community everywhere he went and left a legacy of love, kindness and vivid storytelling wherever he called home. Whether it was Ft. Payne, Alabama, Atlanta, Georgia, Franklin, Nashville, Donelson and Charlotte, Tennessee, J.R. left his mark on each of those communities and the people who resided there whether over a meal he shared with them or through his love and care for each individual that he encountered. If you met him just one time, he considered you a friend. Mr. Perry was preceded in death by his parents and his beloved wife, Minka. He is survived by his three sons and two step children: Brad (Stacey) Perry, Matt Perry, Clay (Tatum) Perry, Brent (Kim) Dorris and Amy (Matt) Reagan. In addition, Pop leaves behind sixteen devoted grandchildren: Knox, Paxton, Sophia, Jack, Micah, Henri, Anna, Matthew, Lucy Clark, Will, Corinne, Ward, Brixton, Madaleine, Allie, and Minka Hailey. Each saw Pop as a man of integrity, generosity, compassion, loyalty with a servant’s heart who always thought of others before himself. They recognize him as the rock of their family and one who will be greatly missed but who left a legacy that will last forever in their own lives and the hearts of their loved ones to follow. Visitation will be from 4:00PM-7:00PM on Thursday, September 3rd at Franklin First United Methodist Church’s main campus at 120 Aldersgate Way, Franklin, TN 37069. There will be another visitation from 10:00AM-11:00AM with the service to follow on Friday, September 4th at the same location. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donation go to one of J.R.’s favorite charities; Wounded Warrior Project, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and Alzheimer’s Association.

James Rodney "J.R." Perry

September 21, 1951 - August 16, 2026