John A. Perra

John Adrian Perra passed away on Thursday, February 27th, 2020 at St. Marys Hospital in Rochester, MN at the age of 93. John was born on June 4, 1926, to Hector Joseph Perra and his wife, Anna Fahey. He had one older brother, Richard, now deceased. The family lived in Browns Valley, MN where Hector was owner and operator of the Valley Grain Co. From kindergarten through the first year of high school, John attended Browns Valley schools. The next three years at St. Thomas Military Academy prepared him for infantry basic training, military police education, and service in the field artillery as a "replacement" in World War II. While he was on a ten day "delay in route" in the United States, the bomb was dropped in Japan and the war ended. John was a longtime member of the American Legion and VFW.
After his discharge, John returned to St. Thomas College, where he graduated in 1950. He was employed by IDS in Minneapolis. John began his career as a banker in Hope, MN in 1962. He became president of the bank in Zumbrota in 1971 and was on the board of directors at the Bank of Zumbrota and also the Pine Island Bank. He was also active in the Independent Bankers Organization. He never officially retired, but stepped away from most of his duties at the Bank of Zumbrota in 1997.
John married Rose O'Neill at Beardsley, MN in 1955. They lived in Minneapolis until 1962. John had a variety of interests and hobbies. The family enjoyed boating, water skiing and scuba diving, which they all pursued for some time. John was also a volunteer instructor with the Owatonna Dive Club. Winter sports included downhill skiing and John volunteered as a Ski Patrol for many years. He also served on the volunteer ambulance crew for the Zumbrota Ambulance Association.
In later years, John enjoyed his motorcycle and flying his light sport aircraft and working on it. He and Rose enjoyed traveling to many locations over the years. Their trip to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of D. Day stood out as a memorable one. John also enjoyed studying French in his retirement and traveled to Canada and France in his pursuit of this interest and his French family ancestry. He was a longtime member of the Church of Saint Paul and the Knights of Columbus.
John was preceded in death by his parents, Hector and Anna Perra and his brother, Richard. He is survived by his wife, Rose; sons, Joseph (Sherry), Jerome (Eileen), Jeffrey (Sandra), and James (Patricia) Perra; daughter, Anne (John) Almli; grandchildren, Maria (Charles Midwinter) Almli, Brynn (Karl Hanson) Almli, Angela (Arthur) Piotrowski, Alyssa (Bart) Hallgren, Kelly (Josh) Lippert, Caitlin (Doug) Larsen, Cameron, Danielle, and Michael Perra, and Conor, Jacques, and Virginia Perra; great-grandchildren, Solomon, Nova, Charlotte, and Ariadne Midwinter, Ronan Hanson, Cooper and Lydia Lippert, and Brooks, Braham, and Leighton Larsen.
Funeral services will be held at Church of St. Paul in Zumbrota on Sunday, March 8, 2020 at 2 p.m. A visitation will be held at Mahn Family Funeral Home - Larson Chapel in Zumbrota on Saturday, March 7, 2020, from 2:00 p.m. until 6 p.m. Burial with military honors will be in the church cemetery. Memorials are preferred to the American Heart Association or donor's choice.

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Visitation

MAR 7. 2:00 PM - 6:00 PM (CST)

Mahn Family Funeral Home - Larson Chapel
1475 Jefferson Dr
Zumbrota, MN 55992

Visitation

MAR 8. 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM (CDT)

Church of St. Paul
749 East Avenue
Zumbrota, MN

Funeral Service

MAR 8. 2:00 PM (CDT)

Church of St. Paul
749 East Avenue
Zumbrota, MN