LAKE GENEVA, Wisc. — Gordon E. Perlee III died on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 26, 2020, after a short but courageous battle with cancer. He was 71 years old.

“The eldest of six children, Gordon was protective of his younger brothers and sisters and fiercely loyal to the family. He stood out and showed us the way — on the athletic field, in service to our county, in humor and in kindness,” his family wrote in a tribute.

Mr. Perlee was born in Albany, the son of Gordon and Marcia Hungerford Perlee. He was raised in McKownville and Altamont and attended Guilderland schools.

A standout athlete, Mr. Perlee excelled at basketball and, while starring for the Guilderland High School squad in the late ’60s, he was named to the All-Suburban Council Team. He later played college ball while attending the Junior College of Albany and Hudson Valley Community College.

After college, Mr. Perlee served in the United States Army and was stationed at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. He later joined the family business, Bradt’s Market in Albany. When his father retired, Mr. Perlee ran the business, the fourth generation of his family to do so. He subsequently was employed as a food broker in Manhattan and by the Abbey Resorts in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.

“Gordon was devoted to his wife, the former Erin Gapp of Voorheesville, whom he married in 1994,” his family wrote. “They enjoyed years of happiness together in the resort town of Lake Geneva where Gordon enjoyed golf, bowling, fishing, and his wife’s home cooking. His wife was a patient and tireless caretaker for Gordon, particularly in the final days of his illness when pandemic restrictions presented so many heartbreaking challenges.”

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Gordon E. Perlee III is survived by his brothers, David Perlee and his wife, Kathy, of Englewood, Florida, and Jeff Perlee of Altamont, and by his sisters Lisa Puvogel and her husband, Stephen, of Kinderhook, and Suzanne Hale and her husband, Kevin, of Altamont. He is also survived by 19 nieces and nephews.

His brother Brian Perlee died before him as did his parents, Gordon and Marcia Hungerford Perlee. Brian Perlee’s wife, Donna, survives him.

Memorial messages may be left at www.altamontenterprise.com/milestones.

A public memorial service will be held for Mr. Perlee in Altamont, pending the lifting of pandemic restrictions.