Eleanor Perry

Eleanor H. Perry died at her home in Terre Haute January 21, 2026. Born June 20, 1944 in Radford, Virginia, her parents were Ralph and Nettie Duncan Hypes, but following her father’s accidental death in 1952 and her mother’s remarriage, she lived with her grandparents, Leona Clarence and Mary Guthrie Jones Hypes, until she enrolled at the University of Virginia in 1962, where she met the love of her life, Glenn Perry (now a professor emeritus at Indiana State University). The two were married at Grace Methodist Church in Greensboro, North Carolina the following August 13, one day after he completed his doctorate.

Eleanor was known as a brilliant, hard-working student, winning numerous awards and fellowships. She earned her degree in Islamic history at the American University in Cairo when her husband taught there and continued her studies at Indiana University, where she completed an M.A. in Arabic literature. Her PhD dissertation lacked only a few minor last-minute corrections when a series of strokes, followed by falls and broken bones, intervened.

She was a devoted mother of five children and “Grandmama” of two later generations. From childhood on, she was a devout Christian. In addition, she sporadically was involved in local civic matters such as election recounts.

Aside from her parents, one son, Alex, and two grandsons, Damion Ashton Dean and Nicholas Carpenter, preceded her in death, as did two of her brothers, Wilmer and Douglas, and her sister Edith. In addition to Eleanor’s husband of 62 years, her survivors include a son, Glenn Jr. (and wife Mary Ruth); three daughters - Barbara, Cathy (husband: Todd), and Lucy; three brothers, Roger Hypes, Henry Wysong (and wife Angie), and Joe Sponaugle (and wife Jennie); eleven grandchildren, Helen Carpenter, Jack Carpenter, Dakota Dean, Calista Dean, Emily Grimm, Alex Majors, Julie Perry, Elizabeth Perry, Benjamin Perry, Audry Perry, and William Perry; and two beloved great grandchildren, Laila Guess and Connor Barth.

Visitation will be held from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, January 30, 2026, at Callahan & Hughes Funeral Home. A funeral ceremony will take place at 2 p.m. on Friday, January 30, 2026, at the funeral home. Burial will be at the Taylor Cemetery in Laurel County, Kentucky at a later date. Thanks go to many who helped during Eleanor’s final weeks, especially to the Heart-to-Heart Hospice.