We are heartbroken to share that Steve Perry, our founder, and president, has passed away after a valiant battle with cancer.
J Perry Homes is just one of the successful businesses that Steve and his wife, Jennifer, started in Lexington. With decades of experience in construction and contracting, Steve had a passion for building quality. His homes and apartments became the place thousands of students, young professionals and families could start a new, exciting chapter in their lives.
But Steve was so much more than a builder. He was a devoted husband. A loving dad. A respected member of the community. And a diehard Wildcats fan.
Steve was born in Bloomington, Illinois, and moved to Lexington as a child. Although he began his building career in North Carolina, he and Jennifer returned to Lexington to start their family and their own business. Over the past 30+ years, they’ve created a life here that extends beyond the two of them. The community knows Steve more as a coach and youth sports enthusiast than as a home builder. He enjoyed volunteering as a soccer, softball, and baseball coach, serving as president of Bluegrass Girls fastpitch, and ensuring the town had quality places for kids to play ball.
Steve and Jennifer’s three children, James, Kristin, and Kathryn, were his pride and joy. In fact, it was James’s first college rental that spurred Steve’s passion for building quality student housing. After seeing what passed as “livable,” Steve and Jennifer founded Lex Properties to ensure local students had access to safe, high-quality, clean, and comfortable rentals. For 15 years, they’ve been the landlords that parents entrust their students to here in Lexington.
As much as Steve loved construction, he knew the importance of carving out time to enjoy the great outdoors. Nothing made him happier than the simple pleasures of spending time with family and friends while they were camping, boating, hunting, or fishing. Connecting with loved ones while no one was distracted by emails, texts, and phone calls was one of his favorite pastimes.
We will miss Steve, his sense of humor, his mission of always doing the right thing for the right reason, and his generosity forever. But we are grateful for his guidance and his love, and we will continue to build his vision of providing the types of high-quality homes our communities deserve. Until we meet again, Steve!