FOLEY – A. Perry Wilbourne, who served as Foley city administrator for 18 years and who established the city’s antique rose trail, died Thursday, Feb. 1. He was 82.
Wilbourne was city administrator from 1993 until his retirement in 2011. Mayor Ralph Hellmich, who was a City Council member when Wilbourne was administrator, said Wilbourne set an example of good leadership that is still followed today that is still being followed by officials such as his successor, current Administrator Mike Thompson..
“Perry was a great guy,” Hellmich said. “He was very honorable, helped us through some tough times and to get this city headed in the direction and to start us on the road to where we are today and I think we made a lot of progress in the past 20 years and a lot of that’s due to him and Mike’s carried on the tradition.”
While Foley administrator, Wilbourne worked to establish Foley’s antique rose trail that extends along the former railroad right of way in the city. The trail was established in 2007. The site was later named the A. Perry Wilbourne Antique Rose Trail. The walkway is a registered National Recreation Trail.
Wilbourne grew up in Marion, Ala. He graduated from the University of Alabama with a degree in business administration. After serving as an infantry officer in the Vietnam War, he returned to Marion and operated his family’s farm equipment business.
In 1987, he became city administrator of Marion before coming to Foley in 1993.
He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Susan Yeager Wilbourne, a daughter Sarah Wilbourne Wagoner, of Selma; two sons Thomas Perry Wilbourne of Bon Secour, and Wilkerson Harris Wilbourne of Niceville, Fla.; three grandchildren and a great grandson,
Burial was held Wednesday, Feb. 7 at the Alabama State Veterans Memorial Cemetery at Spanish Fort. The family asks that donations be made to either Siloam Baptist Church in Marion or First Presbyterian Church in Foley.