The October 2014 Special Council Presentation was an occasion to reflect and remember as Councilwoman Judy Waldman paid a tribute to the life and times of former Homestead Councilwoman and community leader, Eliza Perry.
Eliza D. Perry passed away on July 7, 2014 having left behind a legacy of public service. From 1989-2001, Mrs. Perry served the City of Homestead as a member of council and ended her term as Councilwoman Waldman was beginning her journey in public life, both serving with then Councilman and current Mayor Jeff Porter.
Councilwoman Perry’s profession was as a nurse and business owner of Eliza D. Perry Health Care Services which specialized in providing home health care services. After Hurricane Andrew, she was devoted to helping the victims who suffered most down in the Homestead area and fully committed to its mission to rebuild. She served as a member of the Fraternal Order of Police, MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving), The American Business Women’s Association, Friends of the Everglades, The Audubon Society and the Sierra Club to name a few. She was also a board member for Homestead Habitat for Humanity, the Salvation Army Advisory Board and the Miami-Dade College Homestead Campus Advisory Board among many others. She was bestowed with “Woman of the Year” honors for the Homestead Charter Chapter ABWA (American Business Women’s Association) and the American Cancer Society. In 1996, The Engineering News-Record, a weekly publication that provides news, analysis, data and opinion for the construction industry worldwide, named her one of the Top 25 Newsmakers of the Year.As Mrs. Perry’s son, Robert, and daughter-in-law, Gipsy, looked on, Councilwoman Waldman spoke of her friend.
“Eliza D. Perry dedicated her duties as Councilwoman to building bridges between the City of Homestead and the community to ensure the successful future that we have today. She was as active a community member as I’ve had the pleasure of knowing with an inbred sense of care-giving that was simply amazing. She was a beautiful woman inside and out and I am so blessed to have called her my friend.”