Donnie Dale Peery

Donn Peery's life will be remembered first for the love he shared with his wife, June. Their 71-year

marriage was marked by unwavering devotion, deep friendship, and quiet faithfulness, forming the

foundation upon which every other aspect of his life was built. Whether as a husband, father, grandfather,

educator, mentor, or leader, Donn always chose people over position, service over recognition, and

family over personal ambition.

Donn was born on July 13, 1934, in Vandalia, Missouri, to Benjamin Dale Peery and Mildred Leola Peery.

As the oldest of four brothers, he learned the value of hard work early in life, helping his father deliver coal

and wood throughout the community. He excelled as a student-athlete, becoming an outstanding

basketball player, baseball pitcher, and one of the region's finest softball pitchers. His high school

basketball coach, Francis Giger, became an influential mentor whose example sparked Donn's lifelong

love for teaching, leadership, and athletics.

After high school, Donn planned to become a basketball coach, but those plans changed when his

father's serious illness required him to remain at home to help care for his family. During that season, he

dated June, the woman who would become the love of his life. They soon married and began a

remarkable partnership that would endure for the rest of their lives. After their marriage he began work as

a Military Police officer in the United States Army where he served his country for two years.

The young couple then settled in Pensacola, Florida, where June worked and Donn pursued the

education that prepared him for a lifetime of serving students. He attended Pensacola Junior College

before earning both his bachelor's and master's degrees from Florida State University. Later, while

working full-time, he completed his doctorate in Higher Education Administration at the University of

Miami, demonstrating the perseverance and discipline that characterized every season of his life.

Early in his professional career, Donn was offered the opportunity to fulfill his longtime ambition of

becoming a college basketball coach. Instead, he accepted a position teaching physical education in

Miami because it allowed him to spend each afternoon with his young family. It was a choice he never

regretted. Throughout his life, Donn believed that no professional success could compare with faithfully

loving his wife and investing in his children.

Nothing brought Donn greater joy than the home he and June built together. Their marriage was filled with

encouragement, laughter, steadfast commitment, and enduring love. Donn was a devoted father to Steve

and Sally, faithfully investing in their lives and creating lasting memories through countless family

camping trips and endless DIY home improvement projects. As the family grew, he warmly welcomed

Lisa and Scott, loving them as his own and taking great pride in the lives they built together. He delighted

in watching his grandsons, Dennis and Stuart, establish families of their own and treasured every

opportunity to spend time with his great-granddaughters, Felicity and Ellie. Though he enjoyed a

distinguished professional career, Donn regarded his greatest accomplishment as the family he and June

built together.

Donn devoted more than thirty-seven years to Florida's public education system, including more than

thirty-one years within the Florida Community College System. After teaching physical education in

Miami public schools and serving at Miami-Dade Community College, he returned to Pensacola Junior

College in 1978 as Director of Athletics. During the next two decades, he served as Department Chair,

District Dean of Student Affairs, Interim Vice President of Academics, and Provost. Throughout his career,

one of Donn’s greatest joys was recruiting, developing, mentoring, and encouraging the next generation of

coaches and educational leaders, equipping them for years of faithful and successful service.

His influence extended well beyond his own campus. He served for fifteen years as Chairman of the

Panhandle Conference, as President of the Florida College System athletic organizations, as a member of

the Executive Board of the National Alliance of Two-Year College Athletic Administrators, and as founding

president of the Florida Council of Athletic Affairs. Throughout Florida, colleagues came to know him as a

wise and trusted leader whose influence was measured by his character.

Those who knew Donn remember a quiet, steady man whose faith in God was evident in the way he lived.

He believed in hard work, loyalty, personal responsibility, and doing what was right even when it required

sacrifice. Whether mentoring students, encouraging colleagues, or caring for his family, he consistently

placed the needs of others before his own.

Donn was preceded in death by his parents, Benjamin Dale and Mildred Leola Peery; his brother, Wendell

Peery; and Wendell's wife, Lettie Peery. He is survived by his beloved wife, June Peery; his son, Steve

Peery (Lisa); his daughter, Sally Langley (Scott); his grandsons, Dennis Langley (Alexis) and Stuart Langley (Callie);

 his cherished great-granddaughters, Felicity and Ellie; his brothers, Larry Peery (Kathy) and Gary

Peery (Marsha); and many nieces, nephews, extended family members, dear friends, former students,

and colleagues whose lives were enriched by knowing him.

Donn understood that a life well lived is measured less by achievement than by faithfulness. Again and

again, he chose family over ambition, service over recognition, and love over self. His legacy lives on in

the family he cherished, the leaders he developed, the students he mentored, the institutions he

strengthened, and the countless lives shaped by his quiet example. Above all, he leaves the enduring

testimony of a husband who loved his wife faithfully, a father who was always present, and a man whose

humility, integrity, and sacrificial love continue to bear fruit in the lives of those who knew him.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Donnie's name to your local church.

                                                       “The righteous lead blameless lives;

                                                        blessed are their children after them.”

                                                                                           Proverbs 20:7