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In memory of

Perry De La Touche

Coral Springs, FL, USA

October 19, 1941 - June 12, 2021

Oct 19, 1941 - Jun 12, 2021

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IN CELEBRATION OF THE LIFE OF A GREAT MAN: PERRY DE LA TOUCHE

Children's children are the crown of old men, And the glory of children is their father. Proverbs 17:6

Just 8 days after her 24th birthday on Saturday October 11th, Hilma Maud Reid gave birth to her very own birthday present, her only son, Arthur Glasse La Touche. The date was October 19, 1941, a Sunday, and it was a balmy 84 degrees in the beautiful tropical island of Jamaica. Before we go any further, some of you may be asking yourselves, am I at the right homegoing celebration? I thought we were here to celebrate the life of Perry De La Touche! Rest assured, you are in the right place. You see, Jamaicans have a way of naming their children, and then proceeding to call them by an entirely different name in order to confuse the rest of the world. In this case, Arthur, or Arty as some of his coworkers called him, was nicknamed Perry. He was called Perry pretty much exclusively, so he made the name change official. As for why he is De La Touche: well, De La Touche was an earlier version of our last name, and it simply sounded far more elegant, prestigious and French, which aligned with the pride and dignity of our Dad.

Perry De La Touche, was born on October 19, 1941 to parents Hilma Maud Reid and Robert Sydney La Touche in Flint River, St. Mary, Jamaica, his sister Neris followed shortly thereafter. Perry’s mother was a fine dressmaker and an amazing baker, and his father, Bishop La Touche was a preacher who descended from a long line of ministers.

He used to talk about his mother giving him his “jersey tea," which was how he pronounced the oh so bitter cerasee tea that he unbelievably seemed to love. His mother used to talk about the loud sips he would take when he drank the tea. Perry’s early years were most influenced by his mom and grandmother Orinthia, he affectionately called mum Rinth. He would enjoy visiting mum Rinth, (where he would often go to hide from his dad, when was he was naughty) and they would sip “drinking chocolate” as he referred to it, together. Perry also had fond memories of his donkey Prim. He would brag about how the donkey loved only him and how she would allow no one but him to ride her. He was very proud of Prim, and when he would talk about her, he would laugh full belly laughs that would ring throughout the room when he described people trying to ride his donkey, only to be unceremoniously thrown off, his own father included.

After his parents parted ways at an early age, Perry's father courted Agatha Iona White, affectionately called “Miss Gatt”, while still in Jamaica. They eventually married in England. while dad was still a teenager. Miss Gatt is an evangelist who helped to raise Perry and further cement his faith in the lord. Perry always talked about going for mango walks where he would just walk and pick fruit to eat until his belly was full. Miss Gatt would always fuss at him about that, especially when he did it before dinner time

Perry’s father and uncles used to have their own band, and his father had a guitar in the house that Perry was not allowed to touch. He described how he used to sneak off with his father's guitar and teach himself how to play when his father was not around. He said he shocked his father one day when his dad caught him with the guitar. “You're sneaking off with the guitar. Do you know how to play it?,” his father demanded. “Yessir,” he answered. “Well play something then!” And so, to his father's surprise, Perry began to play. After that, he no longer had to sneak away with the guitar. His love of music continued throughout his life. He eventually formed his own band, playing in England and around Europe. He sang for many years under the pseudonym of Bobby Reynor with his band, the Blue Dawn. His siblings love their memories of their super cool, older brother singing for them, as much as they love to talk about how he used to paint the town red in his fancy, royal blue Mini MG BGT or his Jaguar. Perry always had a style and a flair that he insisted was the signature of every La Touche. May we carry on that tradition proudly.

Perry's father journeyed to England and eventually sent for his son. At 15 going on 16 years of age, Perry bravely sailed all alone on a ship from Jamaica through many exciting ports of call to England, making him an official part of the English Windrush generation. His first job there was at Jack Wolf, followed by a period of employment at Thorn AIE, also known as Ferguson, where he worked in the storeroom. After leaving Thorn, it wasn't a far stretch that Perry, who taught himself to drive riding on coconut tree limbs, would become a bus conductor with the Tottenham Bus Garage. Yes, Perry drove those famous double deckers. Perry, who also co-owned a body shop in the late 80s called Dolphin Auto Body Import and Export, remained in the transportation field until he retired, having driven for the London Transport system, NY Bus Service, and Greyline, amongst others. Perry retired as a driver in 2017, but with a gentle smile and a kind word always in his pocket, he still continued to faithfully transport people on the tram at his church, Abundant Life Church. This remained his mission until he was no longer able to continue, and even then, his heart was always toward the ministry, as he would regularly express his concern over whether or not there was someone available to drive. Perry would also always take care of his father’s church, Philadelphia Church, in Portland. He never failed to help with its upkeep, and after his father’s passing, he never failed to try to keep a pastor in the pulpit. Perry loved the Lord. He’d do anything for God.

Let's take a step back. Perry arrived in England in the 1950s. Not too long after arriving in London, Perry met a stunning young lady who was often compared in beauty to the lovely Sophia Loren, who pales in comparison to this elegant beauty, in my opinion. Enter the iconic Carmel Johnson, fresh out of Flagaman, St. Elizabeth, Jamaica. She stole Perry's heart on sight and continued to do so for the remainder of his days. Within 2 years they were married at High Cross in London. Three children later in 1972, they emigrated to the United States to the City that never sleeps, NY. 15 years later the family moved to Coral Springs, Florida because when you need it bad, Florida has it good, as the commercial used to say.

Friendship for Perry was very important and he stayed in contact with many of his childhood friends as well as new friends he encountered through the years. Caring and empathy were strong qualities of Perry. Muhamad Ali famously said, “Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth,” and Dad believed this to be true. Often times Perry would give to help others, even when he did not have it. He was always very generous. Perry’s most valued quality was his faith: he would read and make notes in his bible daily and always enjoyed fellowship with his church family and friends.

The evening of June 11th, Perry called his granddaughter Alana from his hospital room. He let his family know that he was at the bus stop waiting for someone to pick him up. Gary told him Ritchie would be coming to visit him the next day. “How will he find me?,” Perry asked. “Don’t worry, we know where you are,” Gary reassured him. And we do know where he is. Perry went home to be with the Lord on June 12th at 7:45am. His last words to his family were the words he always left us with. “I love you,” he told each of us by name. Perry is survived by his widow Carmel, his 3 sons, Gary, Ritchie and Warren (born Perry), his 2 daughters Debbie and Shauna, his 8 grandchildren, Joseph, Anthony, Stephen, Sean, Caleb, Alana, Kaylee, and Kaden, his stepmother Miss Gatt, his 4 sisters Neris, Panchita, Jackie, and Michelle, his only brother Robert, and countless nieces and nephews in both England and the Unites States. The Word of God says, “The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away.” Our response is simple: “Blessed be the Name of the Lord.” (Job 1:21). Perry De La Touche, we love you from here to Eternity. Thank you for trying to stay. Walk good.

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