Oma Perry

Hill Country Pioneer Dies at 90Services for Oma Bell Perry will be held on Tuesday, June 3, at 10:00 a.m., at the Kerrville Funeral Home. Dr. Otis Moore of Ingram will preside. ation will be from6 8 PM, Monday, June 2. Miss Perry will be taken to the Perry family cemetery in Brazoria County for burial on Wednesday. Oma Bell Perry has been a Texas treasure all of her life. Born into Texas royalty as the greatgranddaughter of Emily Margaret Austin, sister of Stephen F. Austin, Miss Perry died quietly on Thursday, May 29, 2003, at age 90, after a life devoted to service of community and country.Miss Perry was born on May 8, 1913. She came to live in the Hill Country in 1931, at age 18. She and her mother, Cora Alice, along with a brother, Mord, and two sisters, Corrine and Cora, purchased 100 acres of land at the headwaters of the Frio River in Real County in 1928. Few places on earth can match the beauty of the Big Springs historic falls that feed the upper Frio River. Over the next five years, between 1928 and 1933, the family acquired additional acreage and built the family home, forming the Big Springs Ranch on the Frio, which consisted of 7,500 acres by 1933. They raised sheep and goats, and their Ranch served as a thoroughfare for travelers between Leakey and Kerrville for many years. In the 1970s, the Ranch became known as the country of 1100 springs when its falls and landscapes were immortalized in video clips for a television advertising campaign by Pearl Breweries.By 1986, Oma Bell had survived the deaths of other family members, and continued to work the ranch, which had been converted to a cattle ranch when an invasion of Russian boars and other predators made the raising of er animals impossible. At the same time, Miss Perry began work to fulfill a family dream. Miss Perry had promised her two sisters, who both died in the summer of 1986, that she would carry forward the family decision made in the 1970s to insure that the historic land and family treasures would be passed to a nonprofit organization for the building of an orphans home and retirement village. In 1996, Miss Perry conveyed the Big Springs Ranch to Hill Country Youth Ranch of Ingram for that purpose.Miss Perrys vision was that the Ranch be developed to serve children and seniors who could most benefit from its naturally healing expanses. She worked for the past seven years of her life to promote the new village, which now includes a Charter School, four childrens homesteads, and four grandparent cottages.As the great granddaughter of Emily Austin, and grandniece of Stephen F. Austin, Miss Perry occupies a special place in Texas and Hill Country history. The Austin family came to Texas with the famous Colony of 300 Virginians in the 19th century. Stephen F. Austin himself was a bachelor, and as the last living member of her branch of the Austin and Perry families, Miss Perry was a devoted historian, preserving many priceless relics of Texas history. Her home now will become a museum for displaying these artifacts.Miss Perry is survived by numerous relatives across the United States, and was beloved by countless friends. Miss Perry was an active member of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Colonial Dames of 17th Century America, the Daughters of the American Colonies, the Real Granddaughters of the American Revolution, and the United Daughters of the American Confederacy. She was also a member of the Heritage Foundation of America, the TransTexas Heritage Association, and a leader in the Texas Cattlewomens Association. She and her family were lifelong members of the Presbyterian Church. Locally, Miss Perry served as Vice President of the Riverside and Landowners Protection Coalition, Inc., member of the Real County Historical Commission, Trustee of the Real County Historical Museum, and President of the Real County Republican Party. Miss Perry believed that citizenship meant serving the needs of her community and country in whatever way she could, and she offered help to many worthy causes.Miss Perry has left the stewards of her family land with two simple instructions: Take care of the children, and keep the land the way the Indians left it. Her idea of including a grandparents village makes the childrens village unique. Miss Perry was fond of saying, Older folks need to be around children, and children need to learn from them. I like the idea of the generations living together here in this natural setting, where God is still close by.In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that memorials be made to Hill Country Youth Ranch or other charities of choice in memory of Miss Perry.

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