By: Cara Latham
ALLENTOWN Those who knew Cliff Perry, a prominent figure in the borough and once its mayor, say they remember him for his dedication to the town, for his honesty, and that he was well-liked by everybody.
"Cliff was the word irascible, but underneath that gruff exterior, he was everybody’s favorite father figure," said Richard Switlik, one of Mr. Perry’s closest friends.
Mr. Perry, mayor of the borough from 1972 to 1979, died last week at Robert Wood Johnson Hospital in Hamilton. He was 79.
Marie Mika, former borough clerk, said she was deeply saddened by his death and that she and Mr. Perry had a good working relationship. She said she noticed he always had the best interests of the town at heart.
"He was in contact with the borough hall everyday to see what the latest happenings were," she said. "He took action whenever action was needed."
Borough Councilman Jerry Rovner echoed that sentiment Tuesday. He said he was entering his first year on the council when Mr. Perry was ending his tenure as mayor. He said Mr. Perry was very active in community service and that he put in a lot of year of service to the borough both as mayor and while working for the Public Works Department after that.
Rev. Stephen Heinzel-Nelson, pastor of the Allentown Presbyterian Church, where Mr. Perry was a member for 40 years, said Tuesday that Mr. Perry attended church every week and was on the church’s property committee and became the chairman of the cemetery committee.
"He just took great pride in keeping the cemetery beautiful and cared for," he said.
He also called Mr. Perry an incredibly funny guy, who used to come by the church office and always have a story or joke.
"He was very honest and was somebody who would tell you exactly the way it was," he said.
It was that characteristic that earned Mr. Perry the nickname "Old Grumby" at the Lyons Club, Mr. Switlik said.
"Cliff had an irreverent and dry sense of humor, and he had an opinion about everything and everybody," he said. ""You get to a certain stage in your life and you don’t care what you say and don’t care what people think about what you say, but we found out he was always right."Even so, "for all his gruffness, he was a total family man," he added. "He very much loved Mary, his wife of 57 years, and their daughters and son, and most especially, his grandchildren."
And everybody recalled Mr. Perry for his Perry’s Market, which operated at the corner of Main and Church streets next to Hoffmann’s Bake Shoppe.
He and Pete Sensi, who owned Sensi’s Market on Main Street, were big competitors in town, but the two were like two peas in a pod, Mr. Switlik said.
Mr. Perry’s interests included his family, the Lyons Club, where he also served as president from 1975 to 1976, and the church, Mr. Switlik said.
"My wife and I loved him very much," he said "We had a special relationship with him."

