Perry Nathan Rich

WILLIAMSBURG ? Perry Nathan Rich, 39, of Williamsburg, died Saturday, June 18, 2016, at his home after an 18-month battle with brain cancer.

Visitation will be from 2 to 7 p.m., Monday, June 20, at Powell Funeral Home in Williamsburg. Funeral services will be at 10 a.m., Tuesday, June 21, at St. Mary?s Catholic Church in Williamsburg with the Rev. Joseph Roost officiating. Burial will be in the St. Mary?s Catholic Cemetery in Williamsburg. A celebration of life gathering will be held on July 16 in Williamsburg for his family and friends. Memorials are for his children?s education.0

Mr. Rich was born Jan. 12, 1977, in Mount Pleasant, the son of Phil and Jacque Rich. He married Darcy Driscoll on Sept. 22, 2001, at St. Mary?s Catholic Church in Williamsburg.

He grew up on a family farm in Crawfordsville with his three siblings. He went to school in the Washington school district, starting in sixth grade, and enjoyed playing basketball, football and track. He graduated from Washington High School as the salutatorian in 1995. He then went on to Coe College, where he played basketball and was an active participant in student government, residence life, and the sports medicine program. He loved Coe College for many reasons, but most of all because he met the love of his life, Darcy Driscoll, there. He went on to graduate school at the University of Iowa and graduated with his master?s in physical therapy in May 2001.

After their marriage he and his wife moved to Michigan for five years, where he was a practicing physical therapist and they had their first child, Sam, there. The family moved to Illinois in 2006 so he could pursue his dream of working for Mark Kaufman at Athletico. He was a practicing P.T. and managed an Athletico physical therapy clinic for nine years in Barrington, Illinois. He loved Athletico and the people he met along the way there. His patients loved him, and he loved watching his patients get stronger as every week passed. While in Illinois, he and his wife had three more children. After his morning golf rounds with buddies, he would pick up his sticks to bring ?The Bigs,? his two eldest children, out to the golf range to teach them the game he loved. He also coached basketball and football for many years for them, and loved not only watching his own children grow to love the game but also all of the other children he felt blessed to be coaching. When he wasn?t coaching or playing golf, he was either working out, running, working in the yard or helping a neighbor. He also found time to cheer on his Iowa Hawkeyes and Chicago sports teams. He loved his Hawkeyes, Cubbies, Blackhawks, Bears and Bulls. He passed that down to his children, who have fond memories of watching all of the teams together as a family. After being diagnosed in December 2014, he and his wife moved their family back to Williamsburg in June 2015. He often told his wife that it was the best decision he ever made. With the help of the Williamsburg community, friends, and family, his last year of life was full of memories, faith and love.

Surviving are his wife of 14 years, Darcy Driscoll Rich; four children, Samuel, 11, Carly, 9, Grady, 4, and Charlie, 2, all of Williamsburg; his parents, Phil and Jacqueline Rich of Crawfordsville; two brothers, Neil Rich and wife Kori of Crawfordsville, and Darin Rich and wife Diana of Washington; one sister, Stephanie Dacey and husband Tony of St. Louis, Missouri; one brother-in-law, Chad Driscoll and wife Jodie of Williamsburg; one sister-in-law, Gina Brummel and husband Pat of Williamsburg; his in-laws, Bob and Linda Driscoll of Williamsburg; and 10 nieces and nephews. 0