“On February 12, 2009 our lives were forever changed when we lost our beloved son and brother, Johnathan R. Perry. Only 27 years old, Johnathan was living the life he had worked so hard to achieve. We were all so proud and happy for him and loved him so very, very much.
Johnathan grew up in Loveland, Ohio with his three younger siblings. He graduated from St. Xavier High School as a National Merit Finalist and a member of the National Honor Society. How excited we all were when he was accepted into the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Upon graduation, Johnathan joined the firm of W. P. Carey in New York City. In 2007, John became Head of the International Asset Management Group and opened the firm’s Amsterdam Office in July 2008. At 27, he was responsible for managing nearly $3 billion in assets invested in 13 countries outside the U.S. His capacity for hard work was exceptional, as well as his passion for living a full life.
These are the facts of Johnathan’s life but Johnathan was so much more. He was kind, and generous, and witty and while these may sound like generic terms, Johnathan was anything but generic. Those that knew John, or even just met him, would only describe him as distinctly unique. He was always, even at a very young age, a champion of the underdog. He had a strong sense of ethics by which he abided. When he laughed, which he did often, his whole body shook. He lived life with an expediency and passion that in retrospect could only be described as prophetic. Johnathan believed you should not only pursue your dreams but achieve them. He urged those around him, especially his siblings, to do just that.
Johnathan had found someone to love and together they enjoyed a magnificent life. Johnathan and Nicole Korcyzkowski died together on Continental 3407. They were completely happy and totally in love. Many people have asked if it is easier knowing that Johnathan and Nicole died together. There is nothing….nothing….easy about this situation. The situation is just doubly tragic for our families. We grieve for both Johnathan and Nicole. Our families were anticipating planning a wedding, instead we planned memorial services.
We recently returned from a trip to Amsterdam, a trip that Johnathan had given to us for Christmas. We were all so excited to spend time together. Without Johnathan the trip was obviously very different than planned. We visited his office, an office he had designed and planned with colleagues he had hired. When we entered the conference room, on the wall was a plaque that read “Perry Room”. The duality and complexity of emotions that we felt were overwhelming. Such a lovely gesture for Johnathan by his friends and colleagues, but so sad, so very, very sad, that our 27 year old son/brother has a plaque in his memory.
As we said, our lives are forever, tragically changed. We grieve and pray daily for Johnathan and Nicole and all of the victims and families of Continental 3407. We pray that we have the strength to move forward. It is so very difficult. Our family desperately wants the mistakes, oversights, and airplane system deficiencies that contributed to this accident to be uncovered and corrected to ensure that no other family ever endure such a preventable loss.”
Denise, Bob, Erin, Alicia, and Adam Perry – Parents and Siblings of Johnathan Perry