Alice "Jeanie" J. (Ziegler) Perl

Alice Jean “Jeanie” Perl, 84, of Tiffin, passed away on Saturday evening, September 25, 2021 at Elmwood at The Shawhan.

She was born on October 28, 1936, in Bellevue, Ohio, to Howard J. and Iva Odella (Dewald) Ziegler. 

Survivors include her daughters, Amy (Andrew) Kuhn of Crystal Lake, IL and Emily Perl of Baltimore, MD; sister, Evelyn Rutherford of Marysville; and two grandchildren, Christian Kuhn and Mora Perl, as well as many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, the Rev. Roger D. Perl; brothers, Henry Ziegler and John Ziegler; and sister, Juanita Miller.

Jeanie grew up in rural Seneca County; her father was a prominent sheep farmer.  She lost her mother at age 7, and her sister Juanita helped to raise her.  Jeanie was a 1954 graduate of Thompson High School and then attended Heidelberg College where she received a bachelor’s degree in music.  Jeanie and Roger met as students at Heidelberg and married soon after graduation, on June 14, 1958, at Zion United Church of Christ, Fireside, Ohio.  As a young couple, they moved to St. Louis, MO where Roger attended Eden Seminary and Jeanie taught school.

Jeanie accompanied Roger as he was called to Calvary UCC, Crestline, OH from 1961-68 and St. Paul’s UCC, New Bremen, OH from 1968-1977.  A gifted church musician, Jeanie directed the choirs at each of these churches and later served as the children’s choir director for many years at Trinity UCC, Tiffin.

Jeanie balanced motherhood with church responsibilities, Girl Scout leadership, gardening, canning and freezing homegrown vegetables, and sewing projects.  Her daughters fondly remember the many Easter dresses she made for them during their elementary school years.  In 1977, the Perl family relocated to Tiffin, OH for Roger’s position as Northwest Ohio Association Minister of the UCC. 

In the late ‘70s, Jeanie spent several years teaching English as a second language to Vietnamese immigrants at Columbian High School.  She began her long career teaching music at West Junior High in 1981 until her retirement in the late ‘90s.  In her early retirement years, she enjoyed travelling with her husband and accompanied her daughter, Emily, to Kazakhstan for the adoption of her granddaughter, Mora. She held various leadership positions at Trinity U.C.C. and served on the board of United Church Homes for several years.

In her later years, Jeanie loved spending time with her two daughters, son-in-law, and two grandchildren.  Over the last decade (following Roger’s death), Jeanie’s friend, Liesl Higgins, brought her comfort during their weekly visits.

Jeanie will be remembered for the good she saw in others and the many kindnesses she extended, particularly to several of the staff at Elmwood at the Shawhan.

Her funeral service will be at 2:00 P.M. on Saturday, October 16, 2021 at Trinity United Church of Christ with Rev. David A. Voll officiating. The service may also be viewed on Trinity UCC’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOKE6R8pcJpPIo1r3hn39OQ

Friends may visit with the family from 12:30 P.M. until the time of the Service on Saturday at the church. Burial will be at a later date in Fireside Zion Cemetery, Bellevue.

Memorial contributions may be made to Heidelberg Music Department or to Trinity United Church of Christ.

Hoffmann-Gottfried-Mack Funeral Home & Crematory is assisting the family with arrangements.

Condolences may be sent and the guestbook signed at www.hgmackfuneralhome.com.

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