Perry Edward Wells, a proud native of Washington County, died on June 4, 2026, at the age of 98 years. Perry was born to Hugh T. Wells and Marie (Harris) Wells at home on Route 1, Bonifay, on August 24, 1927, on a working farm. He was the second child and son in a family that ultimately grew to eight children who lived to adulthood, the first of seven of them to go to college, and the only one of the eight who never traveled outside the United States.
In 1944, Perry graduated from Vernon High School. He upheld his duty as Class President well into the early 2000s, hosting regular gatherings for his classmates, as well as others close in age. He wasthe last surviving male member of that class.
After high school, and soon after his 18th birthday, Perry was drafted into the U.S. Army, where he served primarily at Ft. Lewis, Washington in 1946-47. He later returned to the army in 1948, serving as a part of the American Graves Registration Service’s Return of the Dead program. During that stint, he traveled by train across the Southeastern United States, escorting the remains of enlisted war dead to their hometowns. After his army service, he completed a B.S. Degree at the University of Florida in 1952, and immediately went to work for Sears, Roebuck & Company at its new store in Panama City.
Perry met Holmes County’s Hester Lee Lucas during the Summer of 1945, while they were co-workers at Christo’s 5 & 10 Store in downtown Panama City. A few years later, they reconnected and began a courtship that culminated in marriage on October 4, 1952. Soon after, the young couple began building their married life in Bay County.
A career change came in December of 1958, when Perry went to work for the Florida Parole & Probation Commission. It was the first of several career changes, leading him to later describe himself as “an unstable, stable man.”
In early 1970, an opportunity to open a Sears Catalog Merchant Store brought the Wells family to Chipley and Perry back to Washington County. Other business ventures followed, and by early 1976, Perry was receiving serious encouragement to run for the position of County Court Judge. He was elected later that year and served the majority of four terms in that office before retiring in late 1992 when he reached age 65.
Along the way he also served as Chairman of the Panhandle Watermelon Festival for over 30 years, hosted a Saturday morning radio program on WBGC Radio, playing bluegrass, bluegrass-gospel, and old-time music and fielding listeners’ phone calls which he loved, and for several years, he wrote a weekly column, Perry’s Prattle, for the Washington County News.
Perry Wells was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, grandchild Ryan Lee Wells, and three of his eight adult siblings. He is survived by sons Tim (Debbie), Grant (Lynn), Emory (Robbin), and Gordon (Donna), eight grandchildren, Laura Wells Paul (Trey), Julie Wells, Perry Wells II, Mac Wells, Virginia Wells, Courtney Wells, Dan Wells, and Deanna Wagner (Noah), and four great-grandchildren. He is also survived by three sisters, Hazel Tison, Muriel Turner, and Gail Wells (Lane DeMontmollin), and by a brother, Max Wells (Joyce).
Funeral arrangements are scheduled for Monday, June 8, at Shiloh Baptist Church, Chipley, with visitation at 1:00 p.m. and service at 2:00 p.m. Burial will follow at Bethany Baptist Church cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations to Alabama Freewill Baptist Children’s Home www.fwbhome/org are appreciated.
