Jill Louise (Stott) Perelman, a former Carmel resident, died May 10 in Montana at age 84. Born Feb. 14, 1931, at Grand Rapids, Minn., Perelman was the daughter of Mildred Sweum and Calvin B. Stott, a district ranger on the Chippewa National Forest. Her maternal grandparents were Norwegian immigrants who ran the lumber mill in nearby Deer River. Perelman and her younger sister Nancy developed a deep respect and knowledge for trees, plants and their identification through Calvin’s tutelage. During her education at the National College of Education in Evanston, Ill., she worked as a student teacher at an inner-city school.
Educating children was a passion she never lost. In her 20s, she met and married Mel Perelman, and together they traveled, worked and made homes in Houston, Switzerland, central Indiana and Heswall and Camberley, England. Before moving to Montana in her 70s, she donated a portion of her home and land to the Carmel Clay Parks Department. For more of her life and legacy, visit youarecurrent.com.
