Barbara Ruth J. Perry voted Kinston’s Most Influential Person in 2005

Barbara J. Perry is shown here with three of her six grandchildren. From the left are Eliza, Ely IV and Claire Perry, children of son Ely III and his wife Caroline. Twins Elyza and Claire celebrated their second birthday on Jan. 1. Ely IV is six weeks old. Her other grandchildren Brown, Perry and Snow are the children of Barbara Perry’s daughter Ruth Holding, of Raleigh.	She’s a familiar sight on her morning walks and as she visits the sick, hosts impromptu lunches and greets friends throughout the community: Barbara Ruth Johnson Perry, Kinston’s Most Influential Person in 2005. Perry, 68, was the overwhelming choice of KinstonPress.com readers. They selected her as the person who touched the most lives in the city last year. The mother of Ruth Holding of Raleigh and Ely Perry III of Kinston, and the widow of Ely Jr., Perry may be best known for her annual Prayer Walk, established four years ago. The city faced many problems, Perry said at the time, and needed prayers. She enlisted a host of people who walked city streets, stopping briefly at each home and business to pray for those inside. Some people drove. Others, such as mail carriers or sanitation workers, prayed as they covered their routes. The number of people praying grows each year, as does her enthusiasm and dedication to the project. No matter how many personal tragedies she has faced, Perry’s faith remains unshaken.
“She’s gone through her cancer battle, my father passed away – whether it’s trying times like that or a great time she just has the ability to stay focused on the Lord,” said her son Ely III. Perry’s parents were from Fayetteville and moved to Kinston to work at the Kennedy Center. Holding believes it was there that her mother learned to love others. “I think she learned it from her mother and father,” Holding said. “Her father was in charge of the farm and her mother worked in the sewing room. She learned to love everyone, no matter who they were.” After high school, Perry enrolled at the University of North Carolina where she majored in pharmacy. Holding said her mother was one of only a handful of women who were allowed to enter the university as freshmen and it was because of the courses she pursued. Perry was working at the former Sudruth Drug Store in Kinston one day when she walked over to the post office. She was going up the stairs, a man was coming down the stairs and they collided. The two agreed to have their first date on Valentine’s Day and the next year, on Valentine’s Day, Barbara Ruth Johnson married Ely Perry Jr. He died of cancer two years ago. “Her consistency and her faith in the Lord see her through, whatever the circumstances,” Ely III said. Growing up in the Perry household was fun, he remembers. “She’s a high energy person,” her son recalled. “We always had fun things to do and there was always something being planned and places to go.” Perry encouraged her children always to do their best and “to have our own walk with the Lord,” Ely III “Even when you messed up, she would find a way to learn a lesson and encourage us to keep going. She was a great mom to have, no doubt. She’s a great grandmother to my kids. She has that same love for them, as well.” Nephew “Jimbo” Perry remembers that when he met Joan, his future wife, the first thing he wanted to do was take her to his aunt “Barbara Ruth’s” house for approval. His aunt’s life is reflected in Bible verses that encourage Christians to love God and walk in his footsteps, “Jimbo” Perry said. Holding said that while her mother is a good cook, she never had time for hobbies such as gardening, needlework or similar activities. “Her hobby is people,” Holding said. Ely III describes her mother as a good listener, a trait Holding also attributes to Perry. She always has time for people and often puts her own plans aside to encourage or comfort someone she senses needs her help, Holding said. “She spends her time helping people, visiting people who need a friend, encouraging people, counseling people,” Ely III said. “That’s what her love is and that’s what she enjoys doing.”

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