The community of Oakdale lost Rita Beth Perry, 68, on October 28, 2023, after her struggle with cancer. November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month, and many are bringing awareness to cancer every day through fund raisers, etc. There are inspirational stories from survivors and heartbreaking losses of loved ones.
The family celebrated the life of “Rita Mae” at First Baptist Church on Saturday, October 28, 2023. Surrounded by friends and family, her nephew Terry Nathan Terry read aloud some words from her daughter, Keri Graham. “My dream was to be a gymnast in the Olympics after watching it at age four… I didn’t realize then, all she was doing for me to make my childhood dream a reality, but it was only as I grew up, I realized her sacrifices.”
Perry, who had always been helpful to others, worked in her community despite cancer treatments, until she could no longer make it out of her home. Her children are here to share the legacy of Perry’s many achievements.
If you met Perry, you knew she was about community, children and treating others with kindness.
Her daughter, Teresa D. King, said they moved to Oakdale in February of 1992. A single mother of three, she came to work for Immigration and Naturalization Services (later the Department of Homeland Security) at the federal prison. She worked temporarily in Washington D.C. after 9-11 and retired after more than 20 years of service.
Perry volunteered with Family Services at Carswell Air Force Base in Texas, and later at Incirlik CDI, Turkey, when her then husband was in the military. Family Services assisted with information and resources as well as loaner household goods for day-to-day living for military families between duty stations.
She married Keri’s dad in 1974, and after their divorce, she remarried and had two more children, Christopher and Teresa. That marriage lasted until 1988. She then raised the three kids on her own.
Once in Oakdale, Perry continued her life of service and chasing kids while working for Immigration.
Teresa said her mother was heavily involved in her children’s lives. She was always supportive of the Golden Warrior Band. She was an active band parent and even a band grandparent. Her grandson, Thomas Ross, is currently in the marching band. Through the Dixie Youth, she was a baseball and softball parent. She traveled across the state to see her granddaughters, JackLynn and Makenzee playing softball for their schools or recreational leagues. She chauffeured Teresa to cheerleading, dance and Girl Scouting events. Perry drove to Bossier City frequently to watch her granddaughter, Emma, cheer at high school football games. She also accompanied her granddaughter, Kirstin, to Orlando after she was named All-American Cheerleader.
Perry made sure her children were in church three times a week, twice on Sunday and every Wednesday evening. She was among the first to volunteer to chaperone church camps and youth trips. She even secured a chauffeur’s license and drove the church bus and van for years. She assisted with the annual fishing trip with the church youth. “That woman could not sit still,” said Teresa.
Teresa said her mother also was a seamstress. “She taught me how to sew, but I will never reach her level of expertise in that area.”
Perry opened a hobby shop, Nana’s Nook, where she embroidered, sewed and made quilts for people. She always made blankets for seniors graduating from high school or college. She also made blankets for the W.E.E. Center when children graduated from the daycare. When Perry died, she actually had a dress hanging in the shop that had not been claimed. “We didn’t know who it belonged to. We had to post it on Facebook. She was taking the ruffle off and adjusting the length,” Teresa said.
On Monday nights, she conducted a sewing class at her church, First Baptist Church of Oakdale, where she taught others how to sew. They did pillowcase dresses for an orphanage. Teresa recalled her mother would bring her sewing machine to Girl Scouts to teach others to sew.
At First Baptist Church, Perry was very active, especially with the little ones. She loved to teach three and four year olds on Wednesday nights. She was the director of the church’s VBS and even worked while taking chemo this summer. She was a huge advocate of the W.W.E. (Weekday Early Education) Center, built by First Baptist Church. In her obit, Perry had requested, family and friends donate to the center in lieu of flower donations.
Teresa said she asked that the contents of her sewing shop be donated to the church or dog shelter. She also said anything her family could not use should be donated to the thrift store.
While sorting through old photos, Teresa found a photo of Perry reading books to the children in the fellowship hall at First Baptist Church. As a leader of the children’s ministries at the church, Perry assisted with the Fall Festival, Children’s Church, Handbells and Christmas programs.
Perry also was involved in the Uncle Sam Jam in Alexandria, the March of Dimes Walk-a-thon and the WEE are Heroes 5K run in Oakdale, a Color Run benefitting children with cancer at St. Jude’s. Her mother was a big advocate of St. Jude’s and any organization that focuses on kids. Teresa said she discovered a plaque in her mother’s belongings. She was named Parent of the Year in 1999 by Oakdale High School.
In 2021, during an emergency room visit, Perry learned she had a tumor on her kidney. After a biopsy, Perry was informed the tumor was kidney cancer and the entire kidney would be removed. This past year, she was diagnosed with a different cancer – kidney and pancreatic. She did chemotherapy between April and July to address the tumor on her pancreas. Despite eight rounds of a very potent chemotherapy, her tumor continued to grow. Then in August, during a visit to MD Anderson, the doctor told her the kidney cancer had metastasized to her lungs and brain. Teresa said her mother decided it was time to stop chemotherapy and live her life the way she chose to do it. Her final procedure for the treatment of cancer was a Gamma Knife Radiosurgery to address the brain lesions. In an outpatient procedure, the doctors placed her head in a secure “HALO” frame and treated a very precise area with radiation.
Friends and family recently helped Perry mark one of her bucket list items. They went to Las Vegas on September 7, her 68th birthday, to see Donny Osmond in concert. Teresa said her longtime friend, Devre’ Atkinson, reached out to Donny’s team and informed them of Perry’s terminal illness. Those on the trip were not aware that the meet and greet was in the works. She said her mom got to meet Donny, and she was delighted. She said Donny was very charming. He took time to speak with her for approximately an hour about faith, family and grandkids. When he asked if she heard her favorite song during the show, she said “no.” He immediately asked what song it was, knelt down on one knee by her side and sang it to her. “The Twelfth of Never.” Donny pushed her in her wheelchair as she left his dressing room on Cloud 9.
During the life of her grandchildren, Perry was intentional about spending time with them. She called this special time, “Nana Camp,” and each summer she took them on a trip to show them the world. She made sure the kids did not bring their devices along, and they traveled to 38 states during the course of these trips. She always had her co-pilot, a stepdaughter, Jennifer, along for the ride.
Her children will carry her in their hearts as they attempt to navigate life without her. They will cherish the memories and ensure that “the little ones” do not forget her.
Keri Graham, Perry’s oldest child, is a beautician at Cowlicks Salon in Oakdale; Perry’s son, Chris, is a Louisiana State Trooper at Troop G (Bossier City) and was just promoted to sergeant over detectives; and her youngest daughter, Teresa, is an attorney in Houma.
Teresa said the week of her mother’s death was an emotional one. Her mother died on Monday, October 23, 2023, and her first great-grandchild was born on Thursday, just two days prior to her funeral. The family finds comfort in knowing Perry held Sawyer Callum Matte, born on October 26, first, as she ascended to heaven and he came to life on earth. He was born at 12:05 p.m. at Christus Lake Area Hospital in Lake Charles to Kirstin Taylor Graham and Tate Matthew Matte. He weighed in at six pounds, 13 ounces and was 21-1/4 inches long.
In one short week, life and death touched this family, with sadness and happiness. Their mother was a leader, a teacher, a survivor – someone who showed many how to live life with Jesus in her heart.
