Allen Mitchell Perry

DALTON, NH - Allen Mitchell Perry, 69, died unexpectedly on Oct. 9, 2023. Better known as “Mitch,” he was born on Jan. 26, 1954 in Salem, MA. He was raised in Marblehead, MA where he developed a love for the ocean and the natural world at an early age. He attended Holderness School where he met his passion for alpine skiing, the mountains, and the North Country. He graduated from Marblehead High School in 1972. Mitch attended the University of Vermont before transferring to University of Colorado, Boulder where he earned a BA in Cartography in 1977. Mitch loved globes, atlases and maps, and never relied on GPS. A free spirit, Mitch packed up his Chevy van after college and journeyed back out west in search of adventure and fresh powder. Calling Mitch a hot shot skier would be an understatement. He skied every route on Tuckerman’s Ravine. He raced professionally on the B circuit in Aspen Colorado and was recognized in the March 1982 issue of Ski Magazine. He joined Salomon/North America in 1981 and enjoyed a successful career as a regional sales rep and technician until 1986. He settled in Dalton, NH where he worked for the state in Franconia Notch at Cannon Mountain, and the Flume Gorge. He did it all, from making snow, grooming trails, running lifts, managing the ski shop, assisting with mountain rescues, and maintaining trails. A skilled carpenter, Mitch built the boardwalk at the Flume every spring, and the granite stairs at the Basin. He was also a member of the helicopter crew that tended to The Old Man of the Mountain and served as a volunteer firefighter in Dalton. Mitch lived in Dalton for almost 40 years in the home he and his ex-wife Katharine K. Mann purchased, and where his only daughter was born. He said he truly found his purpose in life when he became a father. Mitch was a dedicated father, and there's nothing he wouldn’t have done for his beloved daughter. He spent time tending to his property splitting, hauling and stacking firewood, building a woodshed, tending to his apple trees, and pressing cider. He was vegan and imparted his love of nature and its wonders to his daughter through his property, and his pride in it. Every year he marked his calendar when the phoebes came back to nest in the eves of his home and when the hummingbirds returned. His love of nature brought him much solace and the firm belief that there is a creator. A lifelong musician and singer songwriter, Mitch shredded on the guitar, enjoyed playing gigs with many bands and hosting rehearsals at his home. He loved rock’n’roll, shot for the stars, and dreamed big. Other pursuits included staying fit, prospecting for gold, minerals and crystals, arrowhead collecting, hiking, bushwhacking, the hush of a mountain stream, boating, studying maps, solving the word jumble, fresh squeezed OJ, and meeting new people. Towards the end of his life he became passionate about geoengineering. Mitch is survived by his daughter Julia Harmony Perry of Lewiston, ME, brother John Kimball Perry and wife Robin of Falmouth, MA, sister, Priscilla Perry Danforth and husband Hill of Marblehead, MA, stepsister Meg Laliberti and stepbrother David Lindsay, nephews Nicholas and Nathaniel Danforth, Ryan and Chistopher Perry, Steve Laliberti and niece Emily Laliberti, uncle Roy Edwin Perry and aunt Barbara of Peru, NY, cousins Jennifer Perry Shingelo and Jason Perry, and two great nieces. Mitch was predeceased by his mother Elizabeth Burrough Perry of Marblehead, MA, and his father Allen Edgar Perry and stepmother Gay Clarke Perry of Naples, FL. His grandparents, Barbara Burrough and Freida and Edgar Perry though long gone, were all dear to his heart and visiting his “Nana and Pop Pop” in Bayside, Queens, NY were among his fondest childhood memories. A private burial occurred on 10/17/23 at Lakeview Cemetery in Westmore, VT, overlooking one of Mitch’s favorite places, Willoughby Gap. A celebration of life is to be announced for summer of 2024. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Mitch’s name to Organized Acts of Kindness for Seniors, or OAKS 262 Cottage St Suite 253 Littleton, NH 03561 to whom the family is forever indebted to for improving his quality of life towards the end. Arrangements are entrusted to Bailey Funeral Home, Lancaster NH. For more information or to send an online condolence, please go to www.baileyfh.net.

Allen Mitchell Perry

January 26, 1954 - October 9, 2023