courtesy photo
Summer Sweetwater Day 2022. Back Row: Brenda Green, Anne Delano, Gillian Harris, Ingrid Beery, Dani Korsen Front Row: Mary Perez, Jan Minton, Betty Wagoner, Katy Ratcliff, Janet Kramer, JoAnne Hamilton, Carol Phillips
When Brown County Moonwalkers were still active, she hosted the group every February, when hikers tramped a snowy trail to see the moon reflected off her frozen lake. For those gatherings, the fare was always“ stone soup,” when everyone brought various foods( raw veggies, rice, and beans) to throw into a soup pot that simmered into a delicious hot meal by hike’ s end.
Raised on an Iowa farm, Mary earned a BA in sociology at the University of Iowa, then took off for a job in Chicago with Public Aid to Dependent Children. Her first job as a social worker required her to visit clients unannounced each month to check on family situations.
“ There were roaches, bedbugs, kids running around without diapers. It was an eye-opener for a dumb farm kid. All of us [ social workers ] talked about how we would sit down in those places [ to avoid the bugs ]. First of all, you tried to find a wooden chair, not overstuffed.
“ And the streets were not considered safe. But people would see me— a white kid carrying a clipboard— and know immediately that I was the caseworker. So, they left me alone.”
Perez earned her MA at University of Chicago and later became a school social worker for many years before beginning to feel burned out.
“ My kids were grown. I’ d seen too many people stay in a job when they should get out. I’ d been visiting a friend who’ d moved to Brown County. And I got to thinking this would be a wonderful place to live. I put my house up for rent and drove away, leaving my son in the driveway. I had no idea where I was going to live.”
After a failed attempt to buy property in 1986, Perez found acreage close to the Jackson County line with a beautiful lake and no structures. She checked with her soon-to-be partner, David, and he said,“ Go for it!”
They rented a nearby shack overrun with mice and cockroaches while building their new home. Now surrounded by colorful flower beds leading out to a roomy boat dock, she can’ t imagine living anywhere else. •
Sept./ Oct. 2022 • Our Brown County 51