Claude Perry, Ansonia’s Economic Development Director, died Monday morning. He was 68.
Perry worked at City Hall for almost 30 years, and wore many hats — leading the city’s fair housing committee and operating the city’s personnel department in addition to his time spent as Economic Development Director.
But Perry’s impact on the Valley was felt in many other ways, his friends and colleagues said Monday.
He was a man of solid advice, he loved children and he always had time to talk. Perry also supported non-profits and minority groups in the Valley, often beneath the radar.
“He was a father of the community,” Naomi Wallace recalled Monday afternoon.
Wallace is the director of the Tinney Community Center at the Riverside Apartments. Perry and his wife, Virginia, attended every play and performance the children produced at the center, Wallace said.
Perry took time to talk to the children at the center after each performance. He even bought 10 tickets to a NAACP Freedom Fund dinner, and invited 10 of the community center children, who then got to meet state treasurer Denise L. Nappier and U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, Wallace said.
“They were just a part of the community center. He and his wife, they were a great pair together,” Wallace said. “When you are encouraged by a man of Claude Perry’s stature, you feel good.”
Perry was active in the Ansonia chapter of the NAACP, and gave his time and support to other groups like the Boys & Girls Club, the Ansonia Community Action group, and the Julian A. Taylor scholarship fund.
“This is a sad day, not only for Ansonia, but it’s a sad day for the Valley because he impacted the lives of people throughout the Valley,” said Greg Johnson, the president of the Ansonia chapter of the NAACP. “This is a man who mentored me from day one, when I stepped foot in the Valley, and nurtured me as I became a community leader in Ansonia.”
Several people recalled Perry’s good advice, and long talks during tough times.
“When you were down, his door was always open,” said Ansonia police officer Joseph Jackson, who knew Perry for more than 20 years. “He’s always a person who says ‘Keep your head up. Keep striving for your goals.’ He would give you that extra push when you needed it.”
Johnson said Perry taught him balance — to know when to “subdue my passion” and when to be the squeaky wheel.
“One of the things I’ll always hold close to me, when I would sit and meet with him very often, is that he told me to never change. To think before I speak,” Johnson said. “He was a very nurturing man.”
Diane Stroman, vice-president of development at TEAM in Derby, also said Perry was a role model.
“Claude was a man who demanded respect and he treated you with respect. In my early years of working in the community I vividly remember Claude and his brother Charlie along with Bishop Redd advocating for better living conditions in Ansonia,” Stroman said in an e‑mail.
Friends said Perry had been ill with cancer. But he was a private man, so many people were not aware how sick he was, according to Mayor James Della Volpe.
His death came as a shock to several people Monday morning.
Wallace informed people as they came into the Tinney Community Center Monday.
“I’ve had several people call today that he had befriended,” Wallace said. “Everybody is just absolutely at a loss. He was someone you could go to if you were in trouble.”
That sentiment was repeated by all who knew Perry.
Della Volpe said Perry was a gentleman, who was often sought out to help solve problems.
“If anything were to happen, any problems, concerns people might have,” Della Volpe said, giving the example of a person getting mad while paying a tax bill. “Claude would come up and handle the situation in a respectful manner.”
Perry knew how to make people feel better, no matter what they were facing, according to John Marini, an alderman who is the liaison to the Economic Development Commission and Perry’s department.
“From the very first day I sat down to talk with him, it was very clear where his priorities were, to help those who are disadvantaged, the down and out,” Marini said. “He had a great ability to pull people’s spirits up.”
Perry was also active with the alumni association at his college, the Florida Agriculture and Mechanical University, Johnson sadi. He had been recognized by FAMU as a distinguished alumni.
Jenkins King & Malerba Funeral Home in Ansonia is handling the arrangements for Perry’s services, but as of Monday afternoon there were no details available yet. The information will be posted as soon as it is available.
Perry is survived by his wife, Virginia, as well as children, grandchildren and countless friends.
“He was a very close friend. He’s the type you could sit and pray for, and pray with,” Wallace said. “Many prayers have gone out. But this is God’s way.”
