‘He did so much for the community’: Warrenville mourns beloved public servant

Warrenville officials and residents are mourning the Tuesday death of a beloved community service and animal control officer.

Josh Perry’s death was announced on the city’s Facebook page Wednesday and elicited an immediate outpouring of recollections and remembrances.

Perry was 47 and leaves behind his wife, Megan, and their two children.

Perry was hired in 2008 and celebrated his 18th service anniversary earlier this month.

During his time working for the Warrenville Police Department, he took on a multitude of roles, including parking enforcement, private property accidents, animal control and traffic control.

Perry served as one of only 114 state-approved animal humane investigators in Illinois.

Aileen Miner, office manager at Warrenville Grove Animal Hospital, said Perry was “wonderful” with a love for animals.

“It was his passion to get animals where they needed to be and get them help if they needed it.”

Warrenville Police Chief Sam Bonilla remembered Perry as an “extremely giving” person who loved his job and was driven to serve his community.

According to Bonilla, Perry participated in almost every community event the city put on, helped first-time parents install their car seats, cared for stray animals and helped spearhead larger events including the National Night Out and the United States Marine Corps Toys for Tots.

“We were sitting here thinking, ‘I don’t know how we are going to replicate that in the future without him,’” Bonilla said. “He just went above and beyond anything you can ask of somebody.”

Jessica Shields, a Kane County resident, first met Perry at the scene of a car crash she and her husband were in. At the time, Shields was six months pregnant.

She said Perry was first on the scene and able to keep the two calm during the investigation.

Shields said that Perry was “always so positive,” and that he specifically always helped her install new child car seats, which was important for her.

“He always made the best of every situation,” Shields said. “He always turned it into a positive no matter what it was.”

Funeral arrangements are pending.