Fernance Bento Perry, (November 25, 1922 – November 27, 2014), was a Portuguese-Bermudian entrepreneur and business leader, who had a prominent role in the economy of
Bermuda
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from the mid-20th century to the time of his death in 2014. Originally from the
Azores
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, his professional career spanned such diverse fields as retail supermarkets, television and radio broadcasting, real estate management and maritime shipping. His philanthropic works contributed to healthcare improvements and programmes of spiritual enrichment in Bermuda. In recognition of his achievements, Perry was appointed a
Member of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
(MBE) in 2007. He died on November 27, 2014, at age 92.
Early life
The eldest of eight children, Fernance Perry was born November 25, 1922, in
Ponta Delgada
Ponta Delgada (; ) is the largest municipality ('' concelho'') and economic capital of the Autonomous Region of the Azores in Portugal. It is located on São Miguel Island, the largest and most populous in the archipelago. As of 2021, it has 67, ...
,
São Miguel Island
São Miguel Island (; Portuguese for "Saint Michael"), nicknamed "The Green Island" (''Ilha Verde''), is the largest and most populous island in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores. The island covers and has around 140,000 inhabitants, wi ...
in the
Azores
)
, motto =( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace")
, anthem= ( en, "Anthem of the Azores")
, image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg
, map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union
, map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...
. He emigrated to Bermuda in 1926 as a young child with his parents, Manuel and Emily.
As a young man in his early twenties living in Bermuda, a
British overseas territory, he served in the
Bermuda Volunteer Rifle Corps during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
.
Business career
In 1950, Perry acquired a small “
Piggly Wiggly
Piggly Wiggly is an American supermarket chain operating in the American Southern and Midwestern regions run by Piggly Wiggly, LLC, an affiliate of C&S Wholesale Grocers. Its first outlet opened in 1916 in Memphis, Tennessee, and is notable fo ...
” grocery store in downtown
Hamilton Hamilton may refer to:
People
* Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname
** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland
** Lord Hamilt ...
, subsequently expanding his food marketing business during the 1960s–1970s to an island-wide chain of supermarkets.
He eventually sold the retail chain of supermarkets called Piggly Wiggly in 1979, but retained the real estate. The new owners changed the chain's brand name to "MarketPlace", as it is now known.
Once called the island nation's "supermarket king" by Bermuda's ''
Royal Gazette'' newspaper, Perry was also active in broadcasting and real estate development.
In 1994, he invested in a large Bermuda holding company, BDC, when it was experiencing
cash flow problems. Two years later, in 1996, he was named BDC's chairman, but sold his shares the following year.
He was majority shareholder and chairman of
Bermuda Broadcasting
The Bermuda Broadcasting Company is the largest broadcasting company in Bermuda. Sometimes abbreviated locally as "BBC", it is not related to the BBC, the UK's public broadcasting company. A commercial, for-profit broadcasting company since its ...
, which owns Bermuda's two
over-the-air television stations, ABC-affiliate ZFB (channel 7) and CBS-affiliate ZBM (channel 9), along with radio stations Power 95, FM 89, and FM 105. In 2008, in the wake of labour unrest and amidst a staff shake-up at the broadcasting company, Perry told the ''
Royal Gazette'', "I think that the future looks bright". The following year, a strike by 40 unionised employees in April, 2009, halted all programming at the company's radio and television stations for four days. Perry said that changes in work rules and staff pay were needed "to help a financially ailing company". The work stoppage was settled and normal operations resumed on April 21, after government mediation.
At the time of his death, Perry was president and CEO of Mayfair Ltd., a holding company with offices in Hamilton, as well as vice chairman of Bermuda Container Line Limited, which operates
container ship
A container ship (also called boxship or spelled containership) is a cargo ship that carries all of its load in truck-size intermodal containers, in a technique called containerization. Container ships are a common means of commercial intermoda ...
service to Bermuda from
Port Elizabeth, New Jersey
Port Elizabeth is an unincorporated community located within Maurice River Township in Cumberland County, New Jersey, United States. The area is served as United States Postal Service ZIP code 08348.
As of the 2000 United States Census, the popu ...
, and
Fernandina Beach, Florida
Fernandina Beach is a city in northeastern Florida and the county seat of Nassau County, Florida, United States. It is the northernmost city on Florida's Atlantic coast, situated on Amelia Island, and is one of the principal municipalities comp ...
. He also was majority owner of Devonshire Properties Ltd., a real estate management firm.
Perry served on the board of directors of BF&M Limited, a Bermuda insurance company, from 1991 until his resignation in January, 2007. He also served on the board of trustees of Bermuda's
Saltus Grammar School
Saltus Grammar School, founded in 1880, is an independent school in Pembroke Parish, Bermuda. It was a boys' school until 1992, when it became co-educational. It has two campuses, one for the Lower Primary (Foundation - Year 2) and one for the U ...
.
Philanthropy
Between 1989–1991, Perry was chairman of the Bermuda Hospitals Board, when $13.8 million in improvements were made to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.
The "Perry Ward" at the hospital was named in recognition of his contributions to Bermuda health care.
A devoutly religious man, Perry was a long-time member of the Evangelical Church of Bermuda, a Protestant church founded by Portuguese immigrants in 1890. He developed a island he owned in the
Great Sound as a Christian youth campground, naming it Grace Island. Equipped with a chapel and campsites, it is used by
Word of Life youth groups and others. He was one of the founders of the old Willowbank Resort and Christian retreat in Bermuda, where such speakers as
Woodrow Kroll of
Back to the Bible
Back to the Bible is an international Christian ministry based in Lincoln, Nebraska, United States.
History
Founded in 1939 by Theodore H. Epp on radio station KFOR (AM) in Lincoln, Nebraska, Back to the Bible expanded by supporting missionarie ...
conducted conferences, and was the defunct resort's Chairman of the Board of Trustees prior to its closing in 2011.
Awards
In the
New Year Honours 2007, Perry was appointed a Member of the
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
for ''services to commerce and the community''. Asked by a ''
Royal Gazette'' reporter for his reaction upon learning he was awarded the MBE, Perry said, "All my friends will be happy to know that at least I have got something at my old age. I wasn’t expecting it but they say that when you don’t expect something then you get it."
He was subsequently congratulated by resolution of the Azores parliament in January, 2007, for having achieved the honour.
Personal life and death
Perry's first marriage was to Trina Rose and they had one son, Richard. Perry later married Janice Byrd (born 1952) and they had three children: Christopher (born 1980), Tiffany (born 1983), and Jonathan Michael (born 1985). Perry had four grandchildren as of 2010. In addition to his Bermuda residence in
Pembroke Parish
Pembroke Parish is one of the nine parishes of Bermuda. It is named after English aristocrat William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke (1580–1630).
It occupies most of the short peninsula which juts from the central north coast of Bermuda's main i ...
, he also had U.S. residences in
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...
, and
Naples, Florida
Naples is a city in Collier County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the historical city (i.e. in the immediate vicinity of downtown Naples) was 19,115. Naples is a principal city of the Naples-Marco Island, Flori ...
. Perry was a member of the
Mid Ocean Club
The Mid Ocean Club is a private 6,520 yard, 18-hole golf course in Tucker's Town, Bermuda. Designed by Charles Blair Macdonald in 1921, and originally built in collaboration with the Furness Bermuda Line. It was modified to its current design i ...
, the Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club, and the
Royal Bermuda Yacht Club
The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club (RBYC) is a private yacht club that was established as the ''Bermuda Yacht Club'' on 1 November, 1844, after the sport of racing yachts had become established in Bermuda primarily as a pastime of idle officers of the ...
. He died in Atlanta at age 92 on November 27, 2014.
References
External links
''VSB News Online for November 28th'' obituary video at 07:22-09:22
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perry, Fernance B.
1922 births
2014 deaths
20th-century Bermudian businesspeople
Portuguese emigrants to Bermuda
Bermudian people of Azorean descent
People from Hamilton, Bermuda
People from Ponta Delgada