Matt Perry, former county administrative officer, dies
- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A longtime employee in Lake County’s government and the former county administrative officer has died.
Heber Matthew “Matt” Perry died April 24 of complications of pancreatic cancer. He was 60 years old.
Perry and his wife, Julie, were living in Cache Valley, Utah, where they had moved in 2016 after he retired from the county.
Born in Montana and raised on a Minnesota dairy farm, Perry was a devoted member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, for which he did a two-year mission on the Navajo Reservation in Arizona.
Perry held a bachelor’s degree in history and a Master’s of Public Administration from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.
After graduate school, he and his wife came to Lakeport, where he began his job with the county of Lake.
Retired County Administrative Officer Kelly Cox said Perry was fresh out of college when he hired him to work as an administrative analyst in the County Administrative Office.
“He quickly impressed me with his knowledge, competency and work ethic,” said Cox. “He earned several promotions and eventually served as my chief deputy CAO before being selected by the Board of Supervisors for appointment to the position of county administrative officer after I retired in 2012. He served the board and the citizens of Lake County with distinction and dedication.”
When the Board of Supervisors appointed Perry interim county administrative officer in June 2012, then-Supervisor Rob Brown said Perry asked the board to make the initial appointment on an interim basis to make sure he was a good fit.
In December of that year, the board gave him the job on a permanent basis. His budget acumen and experience with the county’s government were key among the reasons for giving him the job.
Perry would oversee renovations of the Lucerne Hotel, manage the dissolution of the county’s redevelopment agency and work to meet new federal health care law requirements.
But looming over those projects during his tenure was a series of devastating wildland fires that hit Lake County, beginning with the Rocky and Jerusalem fires in the summer of 2015, to be followed in September of that year by the Valley fire, which tore a swath of destruction through southern Lake County.
He had worked for the county for 28 years when he retired in 2016. Shortly afterward, he and wife Julie moved to Utah where he worked in human resources for Utah State University.
His family said he held many roles in the church, and particularly cherished opportunities to work with young people in capacities that included young men’s leader and scoutmaster.
“He was definitely one of the most decent men I’ve ever known,” said Cox. “I’m fortunate that we remained in regular contact even after we both retired and after he and his family relocated to Utah. I am very saddened by the passing of our good friend and my thoughts and prayers are with his family during this difficult time.”
In addition to Julie, his wife of 36 years, Perry is survived by his mother, his three children, his four sisters and four granddaughters.
Perry’s full obituary is here. Information about how to attend his May 1 funeral in Utah via Zoom can be found at http://bit.ly/MattPerryFuneral.
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