Catherine Elizabeth Perry, daughter of Horace and Annie Buten, the second of four children, was born May 1, 1834, in Little Genesee, N. Y., and died at her home in Hammond, La., March 18, 1918, in the 84th year of her age.
While still a young child the family moved to Berlin, N. Y. In March, 1846, she was baptized by the pastor of the Berlin Seventh Day Baptist Church, Rev. J. O. Scott, becoming a member of that church then. There were some seventy conversions at the time. In 1862, she left Berlin and went to Illinois, and there to Kansas in 1863. She became a constituent member of the Pardee, now the Nortonville Seventh Day Baptist Church, where she held her membership for the remainder of her life. There remains now but one constituent member living, her sister, Mrs. Alma Maris.
In 1867, she was married to Mr. William Perry, of Shiloh, N. J. A happy married life ensued of thirteen years. Four children came to brighten the home, - Ida Adelle, the eldest, Walter D. Perry, now of Topeka, Kan., and Charles Elfred Perry, of Milton, Wis. One died in infancy.
In 1908, she came to Hammond, La., to reside with her daughter, Mrs. A. P. Ashurst, now Mrs. S. S. Powell. The last ten years of her life were spent in a wheel chair.
Hers was a life of singular devotion to high ideals, with great strength of character, equanimity, kindness, and industry. Her love for and service in the church were foremost with her, we may safely say, her whole life long, in Sabbath-school, church attendance, prayer meeting, and in woman's work. She possessed so good a knowledge of Seventh Day Baptist affairs, that if it could have been written down with a degree of fullness, an entertaining and popular history of our church would have resulted. Aunt Kate, as she was familiarly known, during the last years of her life, while a captive in her wheel chair, radiated a truly beneficent and Christian influence.
The date of her death afforded a remarkable co-incidence. It was two days before a double anniversary, the date of her marriage and that of her husband's death. That anniversary date was March 20.
The funeral was on March 19 at the Seventh Day Baptist parsonage, her home, conducted by the pastor. There was a large attendance, and an extraordinary wealth of flowers, the season being the full glory of the rose. The pastor spoke upon the Hope of the Resurrection as disclosed in our Lord's conversation with Martha and Mary. Written by Pastor S. S. P.
