Obituary: Jeff Perkell, Arlington Nursery School Director

ARLINGTON, MA – With family and friends at his side, Jeff Perkell died of cancer on Sept. 23 at his home in East Arlington, MA. He was the co-owner with his wife, Esmeralda, of Casa Esme Bilingual Nursery School in Arlington. Jeff grew up on Long Island and in Brooklyn, NY. He attended the School of Visual Arts and graduated from City University of New York (CUNY).

In the early 70's Jeff studied photography with the likes of Lisette Modell and was assistant to some of the best known photographers of the time, including Mel Bochner, Bill King and Pete Turner. He assisted Turner in overseas shooting assignments to the Egyptian pyramids, the Athens acropolis, and a game reserve in Kenya, among others. He also assisted on portraits of Carol Burnett, Pearl Bailey, Ethel Merman and Gregg Allman. In 1976 Jeff went out on his own in New York, and was especially proud of his work as official photographer for the South Street Seaport Museum. He moved gradually from commercial and fashion photography to photojournalism and documentary photography. This work took him to Central and South America and Haiti, on assignments for UNICEF, Catholic Relief Services, CARE, the U. N. Development Program, National Geographic, and other internationally known organizations (see www.jeffperkell.com for some of Jeff's photos and recollections).

Jeff had the good fortune of meeting and getting to know Esmeralda on visits to Nicaragua. In the early 90’s Jeff moved to the Boston area where he was an engineering program manager for Lotus in Cambridge and later for Motorola in Lowell. Jeff and Esmeralda were married in 1999; later that year they moved to Arlington. After retiring in 2012, Jeff planned and managed the expansion of Casa Esme to its present location in East Arlington. He was the office manager at the school and regular greeter to the young students and their parents. He often said it was the most enjoyable work he’d ever done–by far. Jeff’s family, colleagues and his many friends in New York, Boston and beyond will dearly miss his sense of humor, compassion, intellect, and generous spirit.

Jeff is survived by his wife Esme, sons Leo and Max and sisters Rita Perlmutter and Susan Baron. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to support the Fox Branch public library in East Arlington (www.friendsoffoxlibrary.org). A memorial event to celebrate Jeff’s life will be announced later. Those wishing to be notified should email [email protected].

Obituary and photo courtesy of Dignity Memorial