Marcetta ‘Cetta’ Perry, 100

Feb. 12, 1922 —

Jan. 11, 2023

 

CRESCO - Marcetta “Cetta” Perry, of Cresco, Iowa, passed away at Evans Memorial Home on Jan. 11, 2023, one month shy of her 101st birthday. 

Funeral services were held on Monday, Jan. 16, 2023 at the United Methodist Church in Cresco. Burial took place in rural Delta, Iowa at Garrett Cemetery on Jan. 17, 2023. Lindstrom Funeral Home handled arrangements. 

Marcetta was born to Roy and Bertha Ashley on Feb. 12, 1922 in rural southern Iowa. She and her older brother, Edgar, experienced loss at an early age, with the death of their younger sister, Wilma to Scarlet Fever when she was only seven years old. That loss shaped her life and gave her a deep appreciation for family and nature. 

She graduated from Eddyville High School, where she met and later married Albert Perry, her love of 68 years. Marcetta showed her love throughout her life in many ways, always making family her priority. She took Normal Training and became a teacher in a one-room school, teaching kindergarten through eighth grade. She always felt her job was to help the students who were struggling the most. 

She was proud to be a part of the war effort by working at the Turner Company in Cedar Rapids, during WWII. Her job was to grind crystals to precise frequencies to be used in microphones and communications. This job earned her the title of “Eagle Eye.” 

After marrying Albert in 1945, they began their life together living in West Des Moines for two years, where they started a family. Shortly after marriage she cared for her widowed sister-in-law and was a guardian to her twin niece and nephew. 

Later they moved to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where they would spend the next 48 years. In 1999 they retired to Cresco and greatly enjoyed the small-town life. She also shared her talents by baking cakes for all occasions, decorating each with personalized pictures that became a small work of art. Every year at Christmastime her family looked forward to receiving their own special container of her famous chocolate chip cookies and fudge. 

Marcetta loved to sew and made many cute outfits for her grandchildren. She also showed love by journaling every day, which chronicled not only her life but also the family. She loved to record family life in precisely labeled photo albums and scrapbooks. She will always be remembered for her warm smile and nurturing sunny personality. 

Marcetta is survived by two daughters, Marsha Kerr of Eaton, Ohio and Marilynn (Dennis) Fisher of Decorah, Iowa; four grandchildren, Jason Kerr of Elkhart, Ind., Tanya (Mark) Zohs of Rotorua, New Zealand, Aaron (Renee) Kerr of Eaton and Nathan (Jessica) Fisher of St. Clair, Mo.; four great-grandsons, Ethan, Adam and Daniel Zohs and Nathan Fisher Jr.; and a great-granddaughter, Abigail Fisher.

She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Albert, her sister and brother; and a son-in-law, Ken Kerr.