A Costa Mesa mom

Lolita Harper

The lively chatter and hearty laughs coming from the picturesque home

on Fullerton Avenue are typical when the Perry family gets together.

On Thursday, the large family came together to honor their mother,

and among the good-natured ribbing and loving teasing was genuine

gratitude for Joan Perry’s hard work.

“The neatest thing about her was that she raised all six kids by

herself,” daughter Lindsay Iverson said.

“And juggled two jobs,” daughter Stephanie De La Cruz added.

“And we all gave her hell,” daughter Allison Khademi said.

And so went the conversations in the bustling Perry home. With

four of the six grateful children sitting in their mother’s

skillfully decorated living room, the dialogue was as colorful as the

decor.

Perry sat quietly, receiving the praise from her children, while

adding her own accounts.

“All you can do is be the best mother you can be,” Perry said.

“And if you make a mistake, just go on and make a new one.”

The mother of six has lived in Costa Mesa all her life. She

recently inherited the family home in the 1900 block of Fullerton

Avenue. The house, originally built by Charles TeWinkle, was her

aunt’s home, then her mother’s and now it is hers, she said.

She was one of the first Orange Coast College cheerleaders, her

children said.

“Well, yes, I was a song leader,” Perry said.

She owned her own modeling agency, and the Doobie Brothers, Bill

Medley and Bobby Hatfield would always visit, they said.

“They would entertain there regularly,” the petite blond said.

She used to hang out with movie stars and surf with them, her

children said. The first Tarzan, Johnny Weismuller, would meet her by

the pier.

“Well, we bodysurfed,” Perry said. “We used to meet at the pier

and jump off at the T, which we weren’t supposed to do. He would come

down with his cronies and we would surf together.”

A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING

After her exciting youth, Perry turned her attention to

child-rearing and business. She gave swim lessons, owned a cosmetic

line, had an antique store in Victoria Beach and, of course, the

modeling agency, Jo Jordan’s.

Her children said they learned many things from their mother’s

energetic business ventures and watched her succeed in practically

every aspect.

“I’ve done everything,” Perry said. “You name it, I’ve done it.”

As her children showered her with compliments, she tried to return

the gesture by bragging about the multitude of accomplishments among

them.

“Mom, this is about you not us,” Jon Perry said.

“It’s a Mother’s Day story, and you are my children,” she said.

“Of course, I am going to talk about you.”

And Joan Perry has a lot to talk about. The 63-year-old has six

children, 10 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. The

close-knit family members live within blocks of each other -- except

one who lives in Beverly Hills -- and get together often for

barbecues.

“See this patio out here,” Perry said while giving a tour of her

quaint Eastside home, “when we get together, this is where we all

are. I keep making this [tile area] bigger because there are so many

of us.”

Outside of the beautifully decorated home, which Perry calls her

cottage, the matriarch has transformed her large back yard into a

serene haven.

“Mother has a green thumb,” De La Cruz said.

Stunning flowers, nestled in decorated pots, adorn the tiled

portion of the patio, as does a bubbling fountain. Bistro sets are

arranged throughout the patio area placed for optimum socializing.

Beyond the patio is a beautifully manicured lawn bordered by various

fruit trees and a vegetable garden.

“She has always made it so warm and homey,” De La Cruz said. “Just

comfortable. This is home.”

TRYING TO SNEAK AROUND, WITHOUT SUCCESS

The home is where the family always gathered for holiday feasts

created by Perry. She enjoys serving her mother’s grandmother’s

famous potato salad.

“Our mom makes incredible salads,” De La Cruz said.

Perry is not only a great cook, decorator and gardener, she was a

wonderful parent, her children said. The Perry family stayed in the

Newport-Mesa area -- never far from the beach.

“We were all raised as water people,” Jon Perry said. “We have so

many generations here [in Orange County]. This is still the greatest

place in the world to live.”

Her love was also tough, as the mother of six was quick as a fox,

with eyes in the back of her head.

“You couldn’t sneak back in at night. She would be right here

waiting for you,” Khademi said. “I can testify to that.”

“She would lock the door and just wave at you,” Iverson added.

“Oh, are you cold? Have a good night.”

Perry said she is very lucky to have raised her children when the

world was a little safer and she could allow them to have freedom

without worrying.

“They really got to enjoy their youth,” she said.

Through it all, Perry said her advice to others is simply to

enjoy.

“Enjoy your children while they are kids because they grow up way

too fast.”

* LOLITA HARPER writes columns Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and

covers culture and the arts. She may be reached at (949) 574-4275 or

by e-mail at lolita.harper@latimes.com.