Joyce Ann Perrine

Joyce Ann Battey Perrine, 88, passed away at home on October 25,2025 with family at her bedside. Born in Rochester, NY on August 26, 1937 to Robert S. and Kathryn V. (Mease) Battey.

Joyce grew up on farms in the Finger Lakes region when her father took time off from his job as a development engineer with the Eastman Kodak Company. When she wasn’t milking cows, shooting snapping turtles out of the pond, or helping her father deer hunt, Joyce could be found on her favorite horse Pal riding all over the area. She even rode her horse to school one day which earned her a trip to the principal’s office.

After graduating from Webster High School, Joyce attended Cortland State Teachers College and graduated with a BS in Physical Education. She and a couple of her fellow young teachers moved to Phoenix, AZ to teach at an elementary school. It was in Phoenix that she met a young Air Force pilot, Elton Lawrence “Larry” Perrine who was dating Joyce’s roommate. Before long it was Joyce and Larry heading to the altar in February of  1962. Joyce traveled wherever the Air Force took Larry, from Las Vegas to Texas to Niagara Falls.

Their first daughter, Mary Beth was born in Rochester, NY in October 1962. Larry was next stationed in England. Joyce and Larry were able to see a lot of Europe while stationed there, returning to the US in 1966, along with their second daughter, Kathleen Anne, born in England in September 1965. The Perrine family was home less than a year when Larry shipped out to Viet Nam in early 1967, and he was in-country only a few months when his fighter jet was shot down over North Viet Nam and Capt. Elton Lawrence Perrine was listed as MIA on May 22,1967.

Joyce moved with the girls to Universal City, TX near Randolph AFB, home of the Air Force’s casualty headquarters, in 1968 to be with other MIA/POW families. When Larry’s name was not on the list of POWs released in 1973, Joyce later moved to Clearwater, FL in 1976 to be near her parents who had retired from Rochester to Largo. Joyce was active in her neighborhood, bowled, and enjoyed playing bridge and mahjong with her friends. She taught her grand-daughters to swim in her backyard pool, and loved to putter in her yard growing beautiful gardenias.

In her later years, Joyce moved in with her daughter Mary and family in Tarpon Springs where she received love and care until her death. Joyce was preceded in death by her parents Robert and Kathryn Battey, and sister Carol Jean Bushart; and survived by daughter Mary Malamatos (Stelios), daughter Kathleen Holland (James), several nieces and nephews, two grand-daughters, one grandson, four great-grandchildren and step-grands and great-grands.

No services are planned at this time. Always behind the camera and ever camera-shy, her high school yearbook picture is a beautiful way to remember Mom, aka Oma!

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