A bell rang at 6:00 pm on Friday, May 9, 2024, and Randy Perry earned his wings. He was born September 16, 1959, in Carrollton, Georgia, to James Render Perry and Sara Hammond Perry in the new Tanner Hospital maternity wing.

Randy was a happy child and delighted in time spent with his grandparents, particularly his Grandpa Hammond, who would foster in Randy a sense of integrity and urged Randy to seek higher education. Randy graduated from Central High School in 1977, where he made life-long friends. Randy was an avid hunter in his younger days and became a competitive compound bow archer. After receiving an associate degree from West Georgia College, Randy never stopped pursuing knowledge in his field of Logistics and Fleet Safety gathering a string of letters behind his name. He accomplished the designation of Certified Safety Professional, a difficult achievement, without any fanfare and just recently attained equally difficult OSHA certifications.

Randy began his career as a route driver for Frito Lay and gradually moved into a leadership role. He continued taking leadership courses to create a skill set that allowed him to move further into the field. Randy excelled at every position and led with heart and integrity. He worked diligently with others to help them move forward and achieve their own career goals. Year after year, he worked to improve the work culture around him and after 38 years with Frito Lay he retired as their National Fleet Safety Manager overseeing approximately 5,000 over the road and route drivers and 2,500 big rigs and smaller route trucks. He navigated the frequent corporate changes with his typical good nature. He traveled often from one end of the country to the other spending as many as 250 nights away from home in the pursuit of safety excellence. He grieved when a driver was lost and celebrated when drivers attained a million miles of safe driving. Randy floated between the different hierarchy levels within the company treating everyone in his path with the same respect. Retirement did not suit him and he began to search for a position to continue to hone his knowledge.

After a short stint with Home Depot's supply chain group, Randy was excited to be welcomed to Schwan's where his accumulated knowledge was more in line with his career choices. He thrived at Schwan's, bringing the same personality traits into his new role as a Senior Safety Manager for the Eastern United States. Randy reimagined safety at Schwan's by creating a program t0 acknowledge safety excellence in seasoned drivers while also supporting and enhancing training guidelines for new employees. He inspired passion for safety in the entire fleet. No project was ever too large and he never met a spreadsheet he could not create. In recent months he had taken on the task of safety in warehouses and even taught himself a few words of Cantonese to communicate basic greetings with warehouse personnel.

Randy continued to pursue career enrichment outside of the job by joining the National Private Trucking Council and served as a board member in the past. He thoroughly enjoyed their two annual meetings and looked forward to them each year, building more relationships and connecting to fleet safety leaders as well as trucking supply companies around the country. Randy also made connections with J.J. Keller, broadening his knowledge and developing relationships within the company to continue to offer more avenues of support to Frito Lay and later Schwan's.

In Randy's personal life he took on the role of husband and father with the same integrity and heart. No dream was too big for his wife and daughter and he worked toward fulfilling those dreams with joy and determination. His daughter Taylor was the light in his days from the minute she was born and their relationship was a cornerstone of his life. From roller coasters to years of dance competitions to college, career, marriage and motherhood, Randy supported Taylor with a love bigger than the sky. He encouraged her to pursue her dreams, even if it meant being a cowboy, ready to catch her if something went wrong. Randy welcomed his son-in-law Gage into the family with an open heart. The greatest gift Taylor and Gage gave him are his granddaughters, Emilia and Harper. For him, they were pure love wrapped in little human packages.

In 2007, Randy reconnected with his high school classmate, Dee, and they found in each other something that had been missing. They never went a day without speaking no matter where in the world they were. Randy supported Dee's passions whether it was antiques, dollhouses or trips to London. He never questioned her unending quest to find a treasure and came along for the ride. Randy counseled Dee when her career made her question her own path giving the same advice and support he had done for years in his own career. His attitude to always do the right thing and take the high road will have a lifelong impact on Dee and her choices. Dee pushed Randy outside his comfort zone encouraging him to get a passport and see the world. He was delighted to make new friends far away. They shared the love of opening their home for events and truly enjoyed time spent with friends and family. From the annual Christmas Open House to Football Saturdays (Go Vols) to random cookouts, Randy attacked them all with a desire to share and celebrate. They completed each other and they created a unique family unit that Dee and Taylor will cherish and continue.

Randy had a deep faith in God and he approached this relationship with the same integrity and heart that was his hallmark. After becoming a deacon at the First Christian Church of Tallapoosa, he sought to help the church and support the congregation. Nothing was too much to ask. He enjoyed his relationships with fellow members and reached out to those in need. He did this quietly and with determination to make this corner of the world a better place.

Randy leaves behind his wife of fourteen years, Dee and his precious daughter and son-in-law, Taylor and Gage Craig and their daughters Emilia Perry and Harper Jane. Also left to remember him is his sister, Denise (Mark) Camp and sister-in-law Christy (Tim) Hawk along with six nieces and nephews and their children. His uncle, Wayne Perry and his cousins Mark, Matt, Clint and James all held a special place. Also left to remember him is his aunt, Brenda Karel. There are hundreds of friends, far too many to list who will also grieve his loss.

The family welcomes everyone to join them at Martin & Hightower Heritage Chapel to share their love for Randy on Thursday, May 15, from 4-7, and Friday, May 16, from 12-2. The celebration of his life will be held at Martin & Hightower at 1:00 on Saturday, May 17, with Pastor John Latimer officiating. Perry Thompson, Charlie Winstead, Danny Holloway, Keith Burns, Adrian Copplestone, Mark Camp, Mark Perry, and Matt Perry will serve as pallbearers. Honorary pallbearers are Jerry Latimer, Nelson Collins, Elton Lyle, Scott Lanier, and Bill Simkins. Graveside services will be held at a later date.

Floral tributes are welcome. For those who wish to make a memorial contribution in Randy's memory, you may consider donating to his beloved home church, the First Christian Church of Tallapoosa, located at 546 Bowdon Street, Tallapoosa, GA 30176, or to Java Evangelism, at 105 Westbrook Road, Carrollton, GA 30116.

Friends and family are invited to send condolence messages to the family at www.martin-hightower.com. Martin & Hightower Heritage Chapel is honored to handle the arrangements and support the family during this difficult time.