Bruce Perry returned to his childhood home in Browns Point to catch up with friends and family at
reunions, enjoy the outdoors and show his sons some Northwest sights.

But days before his 20-year reunion at Stadium High School, the 38-year-old Cincinnati resident died
Tuesday while hiking near Mount Baker with a high school classmate.

He had reached the summit of Twin Sisters mountain, then slipped and possibly impaled himself on his
own ice ax while descending the 6,932-foot mountain range, family members said Wednesday. Rangers
removed his body from the mountain Wednesday.

News of Perry's death spread throughout the South Sound, shocking friends and family who described
him as a dedicated father and husband.

"I have his face in my mind so vividly," classmate Martha Konicek said. "Mortality is not what you want to
think about when you go to your 20-year reunion."

Perry's parents spent Tuesday and Wednesday breaking the news to his loved ones.

"It's just devastating," his mother, Janice Perry, said. "He was a wonderful man and an exceptionally good
father."

Bruce Perry, a product development manager for Proctor and Gamble, leaves behind a wife and three
sons, ages 6, 4 and 1. The four attended a family reunion last weekend and planned to participate in
Bruce Perry's high school reunion this weekend.

Many of his classmates said they last saw him at the 10-year reunion. They were excited about catching
up with the man voted "most likely to succeed" in the 1979 class of more than 300 students.

"I am still really absorbing this," said Gretchen Bush, who grew up with Perry in Browns Point. The two
attended the same schools - Browns Point Elementary, Meeker Junior High School and Stadium.

"He just was always there," Bush said.

Former high school classmates scrambled to arrange ways to honor their senior class president during the
three-day reunion, starting Friday.

"This is somebody that people were looking forward to seeing," said Konicek, one of several people who
organized the reunion. "Now we are going to be grieving."

Konicek said classmates will pay tribute to Perry during the reunion and set a special place for him at a
memorial table honoring other classmates who have died. They also plan to set up a trust fund for Perry's
sons.

Perry spent his childhood in the Tacoma area. He dabbled in sports, playing football for more than a year,
and loved to cook, Janice Perry said.

Bruce Perry also loved to do things on his own. At age 12, he coaxed his father into building a darkroom
in the house, then spent hours in the room developing photographs.

"He didn't like to be told what to do," his mother said.

In high school, Bruce Perry took a leadership role and made many friends.

"I loved talking with Bruce," Konicek said. "He was just so smart, so talented, so handsome. I can't think
of one negative thing to say about Bruce."

After graduating in the top 20 of his class, he attended Washington University in St. Louis. As a freshman,
he met his future wife, Lisa Laurenzo, who lived in the same residence hall. The two married in 1986.

Bruce Perry graduated from the university with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and went to
work for Proctor and Gamble. The job allowed him to travel the world, but he still tried to come home
about once a year, Janice Perry said. He even talked about moving back to Tacoma.

"He loved the mountains and loved the bay," his mother said.

Bruce Perry and his family returned to Tacoma for vacation July 29. They joined more than 80 family
members in a two-day reunion last weekend.

"I am so glad he made it to that," Janice Perry said.

Monday, he took his family to Seattle for the day, then stayed there with longtime friend Steve Jewel in
preparation for their summit attempt Tuesday morning.

He hadn't done much climbing in recent years, but he looked forward to the challenge.

"He was not an expert at snow climbing," his mother said. "When his friend got to him, he was gone."

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* Reach staff writer Stacey Burns at 253-597-8268 or stacey.burns@mail.tribnet.com.

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