If you ask Kevin and JoLynn Perry what brought them together, they might say it is their mutual love for wide-open spaces and the eastern plains of Colorado, or their kinship with animals. Others might say it was fate.Kevin Perry was born and raised in Colorado Springs. After graduating from Coronado High School in 1976, he opted out of the family business and decided to drive a truck. “For all practical purposes, I’ve never lived outside of El Paso County,” Kevin said.JoLynn Perry, on the other hand, moved often before finding her way to Colorado. Born in Bozeman, Mont., her family moved to Conifer, Colo., when she was in the fifth grade. “My dad got transferred to Denver for his job, so we lived in a nice bedroom community near Evergreen,” she said.JoLynn graduated from Evergreen High School in 1973 and attended Colorado State University, where she earned a doctor of veterinary medicine degree. She first practiced in a small and large animal veterinary clinic in northeastern Colorado. Eventually, she moved to Phoenix for a veterinary job.”I had a horse trainer friend in Canon City who encouraged me to come back here,” she said. “My family was still there (Colorado), and I liked the area,” she said. So, she moved back and soon after met Kevin.By this time, Kevin had given up truck driving and joined the family business – Rampart Plumbing and Heating. The business brought Kevin and JoLynn together, sort of.JoLynn’s brother-in-law was a purchasing agent who did business with Rampart Plumbing and Heating. Like a good brother, he decided Kevin and JoLynn would make a good match. JoLynn said her brother kept telling Kevin that he should meet his sister because they would have a “lot in common.” Kevin said he was a bit reluctant for fear of mixing personal matters with business. It took him a year, but he finally decided to seek her out. JoLynn said, “He was probably thinking, ‘Fine. I’ll get this over with.'”Kevin ventured over to the veterinary clinic where JoLynn worked. She said their first encounter was rather awkward. JoLynn said Kevin references their meeting by comparing it to teenagers meeting for the first time.At first, Kevin said he didn’t plan to contact JoLynn again. But he decided he wanted to ask her out on a date, so he did it in a way she was sure to show up – by making an appointment at the veterinary clinic where she worked. “I made an appointment for her to check some sick cows,” Kevin said. “Which really didn’t need to be checked,” JoLynn added. A sly Kevin then told JoLynn he would take her dinner as payment for her veterinary services. “And the rest is history, as they say,” JoLynn said.They dated for 10 months. Because JoLynn was practicing full time and on call much of the time, a typical date was not the usual dinner and movie but emergency animal care. “He thought that it was quite entertaining,” JoLynn said. Kevin shared JoLynn’s fondness for animals – big and small.Kevin and JoLynn were married Oct. 24, 1995 in Elko, Nev.JoLynn joined Kevin on his 10 acres in Falcon and their “family” has grown to six horses, nine cats and two miniature donkeys. Kevin is the vice president of Rampart and active in sales. JoLynn works part-time in a veterinary clinic as well as working with horse dentistry. They also enjoy participating in mounted shooting competitions, similar to barrel racing but with the additional challenge of shooting at balloons with powder-filled guns.Whether their meeting was fate or happenstance, they said life is good, and, amidst the growth they still love living on the eastern plains.A little more on the PerrysWhat is your favorite thing about Colorado?JoLynn: the diversity in the terrain and being able to live to so close to the Front Range.Kevin: Life on the eastern plains; the wide-open spaces.What is your favorite book(s)?JoLynn: Seabiscut. There’s a surprise, huh? But the book is way better than the movie.Kevin: I have two favorite authors. Carl Hiaasen. He writes for the Miami Herald and wrote “Sick Puppy,” “Striptease” and “Nature Girl.” I also like Nelson DeMille.Name someone you admire and why.JoLynn: My youngest sister. She has a teenage son who is autistic. I just watch her with him in amazement.Kevin: I have more than one. My dad, my brother and my Uncle Jim. They are just all- round good people.What is your favorite memory?JoLynn and Kevin: Touring the Yorkshire Dales and going through Buttertub Pass in England. We always wanted to go there and finally did in 2005.
