The Rev. George A. Pera, D.D., L.H.D., Litt. D., 93, died on January 17, in Alexandria, Va. He was born on December 16, 1929 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to A. George Pera and Mary Ely Pera. He grew up in Pittsburgh where his father was a skilled craftsman and furniture maker. He graduated from Peabody High School and went on to the University of Pittsburgh for his undergraduate degree. He then matriculated at Princeton Theological Seminary where he excelled in his studies and was named the first-ever Teaching Fellow while still a degree candidate. The dynamic environment of the seminary in the 1950s planted the seed for what would be a lifetime of learning, study, and voracious reading. Rev. Pera later received training in clinical pastoral counseling at Bellevue Hospital in New York City, and with Dr. Paul Tournier, the famed Swiss physician and psychiatrist, in Geneva. While in England, he studied at Cambridge University, and in London he was a student of Dame Cecily Saunders, the founder of the worldwide hospice movement. He was also coached in public speaking by a member of the Royal Faculty of Dramatic Arts. He holds three honorary degrees: Doctor of Divinity, Doctor of Humane Letters and Doctor of Literature.
Rev. Pera’s career as a pastor began with his service as a Chaplain at Ohio State University and New York University. It was in New York City that he met Nancy Umholtz on a blind date. They wed in Manhattan on New Year’s Eve in 1959 and were married for 58 years until Nancy’s death on January 20, 2017. After NYU, he moved uptown to Central Presbyterian Church on Park Avenue where he was associate pastor. In 1964, they settled in Greenwich where he served as Associate Pastor at First Presbyterian Church and in 1965, he was appointed Senior Pastor and Head of Staff, a position he would hold until 1977. During his tenure in Greenwich, Rev. Pera became a public figure filling the pews on Sundays with people eager to hear his insightful sermons, and through his active engagement in civic and community affairs. Beyond the church, he was on the Board of the Brunswick School; he and Nancy helped found Kids in Crisis; and he was the chaplain for the Amogerone Fire Department, and three country clubs. Highly sought after for weddings, funerals, and guest preaching, he and Nancy were frequently seen in Greenwich long after they had moved.
From 1977 to 1980 he was the senior pastor of The American Church in London, UK. During his tenure in London, he preached the first American Thanksgiving Day services ever held in Westminster Abbey, St. Paul’s Cathedral and Westminster Cathedral. While in England he also preached at Canterbury Cathedral and at Harrow, Winston Churchill’s prep school.
Pera was next called to serve as senior pastor at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Alexandria, Virginia, from which he “retired” in 1995. They then named him Pastor-Emeritus. Soon after he was invited to be guest preacher at the American Church in Paris while the senior pastor was on sabbatical.
After leaving Westminster, George served as an interim pastor at a Calvary Presbyterian of Alexandria during a heartbreaking time for that church. His public profile only grew with his engagement in several non-profit endeavors, and organizations all aimed at the betterment of the community and the public good in Alexandria and Northern Virginia. In recognition of his service to the city, George was named a Living Legend of Alexandria in 2009.
Rev. Pera is survived by his daughter Tracey (Pete) Sanders of Memphis, TN; son, David Pera of Falls Church, VA, and granddaughter Hope Sanders of Washington, DC. He is also survived by his sister, Mary Goodwin and nephew David (Pam) Goodwin, of Pittsburgh, PA.
A memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on February 15, at Westminster Presbyterian Church, Alexandria. That service may be viewed at https://wpc-alex.org/george-pera-memorial-service . A private interment service in the memorial garden at the First Presbyterian Church of Greenwich will take place at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you donate to Kids in Crisis (Cos Cob, CT) or Pastoral Care Services at Inova Alexandria Hospital (VA).
