Mary Jane Osmeña Perry, Commander, USN (Ret), passed away on April 6, 2021 at the age of 53.
Born into a Navy family on September 30, 1967 in Great Lakes, Illinois, Mary Jane “MJ” grew up in Portsmouth, RI and was too humble to talk much about the string of legitimate beauty pageants she won. She graduated from the College of the Holy Cross in 1989. After graduation, she took her razor-sharp mind, infectious smile and boundless determination to begin her own career in the Navy.
Mary Jane served her country for 20 years as a Naval Officer, first hunting Soviet submarines and later providing invaluable human resource support to thousands of Navy servicemembers and their families while stationed in Okinawa, Hawaii, California, and Washington D.C. It was in the Navy that she met and married her loving husband, Capt. Ryan Perry, USN. Ryan and MJ have made their home in Coronado since 2015.
Mary Jane was an incredible woman who always put her family first. She is survived by her children LT Blake McCrea, Raden Perry, and Malia Perry; her parents Divino and Leticia Osmeña of Portsmouth, RI; sister Divina Bradshaw of Naples, FL and many other family members and friends at home and abroad.
A Boston sports fanatic, gourmet cook and Pinterest influencer, Mary Jane’s slight frame concealed a powerful golf swing that was often on display with her friends and family at Sea ‘n Air golf course. She loved to travel and always enjoyed a good glass of wine. She never missed one of her children’s sporting events, and it is very likely you have heard her supportive cheers from the stands. Mary Jane lives in the hearts, minds, thoughts, prayers and laughs of all who knew her.
A funeral service will be held at 11:00a.m. on Saturday, April 10, 2021, at the Naval Air Station North Island Chapel. The service will be followed by a celebration of Mary Jane’s life. In the coming months, Mary Jane will be interred with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, DC.
In lieu of flowers, The Perry family asks that those wishing to support them donate to the MJ Perry Memorial Fund dedicated to the Nurses of the Moores Cancer Center at UCSD. Information on how to donate the MJ Perry Memorial Fund will be shared in the coming weeks.
