Perrin Gower

Written by Granddaughter, Mary Butterton. My grandfather, Perrin Wingate Gower Jr., passed away peacefully on June 16th, 2022. He was 93 years old. Ali, as we called him, was an amazing man. Born in 1928, he grew up in Raleigh, NC and attended UNC- Chapel Hill. He was very tall, very handsome, and a big personality. Just too young to be in World War II, he was a fighter pilot in Korea and Vietnam became a Colonel in the Air Force. After he retired, he was a commodities trader and grew to love the ins and outs of financial markets. He never tired of telling me that the market was going to crash. He was brilliant, sarcastic, hilarious, and generous always - both to his grandchildren and his great grandchildren. He loved to send random gifts to Viv, including her favorite snacks, funny books, and once a hat that read “I’m Vivian, your nemesis.” We disagreed about politics on almost every level but he was always willing to listen. He loved to prank my sister and I by sending us Trump gear but we also donated to Hillary Clinton in his name so it all evened out. He was a great cook and loved seafood, steak, gourmet grocery stores, and dessert of any kind. He leaves behind my grandma, three children, five grandchildren, and two great-grand children (whom he doted on, adored, and insisted were brilliant minds headed toward great things). I loved him, and I’m sad. May we all live such a long, full life. He will be placed in Arlington Cemetery in a future service, in honor of his long service to his country.