Robert L. Perry

Robert “Bob” Lawrence Perry (b. November 19, 1947) passed away on May 2, 2023 surrounded by his family. It is difficult to summarize such a full and eventful life but let us try.

While originally hailing from California’s central valley, he called Montana home for 44 years. He was born and raised in Los Banos, California until the age of 17 when he joined the Marines. After completing bootcamp, he was deployed to Vietnam in 1965 where he distinguished himself with his wit, quick thinking, bravery, and mischievousness. He left Vietnam in 1968, highly decorated, his numerous honors and medals include: the Bronze Star, several purple hearts, the Navy & Marine Commendation w/1 star, the Presidential Unit Citation for Extraordinary Heroism, the Navy Unit Citation with a Combat V, the Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal w/4 stars, the Vietnam Campaign Medal with device, and pistol and rifle sharpshooter badges just to name a few.

After returning stateside, he attended California Polytechnic University in San Luis Obispo where he earned a degree in Ag Management. He loved rodeo and won championships in bulls and bareback broncs. He went on to manage the Cherokee Santa Gertrudis ranch in Colorado where he met the love of his life, Rosemary Phillipps, at a party thrown by the ranch owner, Mildred “Tweet” Kimball. They were married in Maryland on April 16, 1977.

Bob and Rosemary eventually found their way to Montana where they raised their daughters with their shared love of horses, the outdoors, and adventure. He was an expert marksman, and taught his girls how to shoot, instilling in them the importance of gun safety and responsible ownership. He took them fishing and camping. He was an amazing cook and dedicated foodie and passed that onto his girls as well. Among his many talents, he could rebuild a car engine one day, build a house the next–doing all the carpentry, plumbing, and electrical–as well as building his own computers with ease. An avid Louis L’Amour fan, he read every one of his books multiple times.

He had a reverence for education, intelligence, and critical thinking and no one dared play him in Trivial Pursuit.

He brought some demons home with him from Vietnam, but that never stopped him from being a hero to his daughters and a kind and generous heart to those in need. He was a true cowboy to the end and will be missed by all those who knew and loved him.

He is survived by his beloved wife of 46 years, Rosemary; his daughters Maria Bosch (Matt) and 2 grandchildren (Kelcey & Joseph), Frances Perry, and Danielle Perry (Andrew Paul); and his brother, William “Billy”. He was preceded in death by his brother, Richard “Dicky”, parents, and other loved ones.