Perry Colin Bramlett

Reverend Perry Colin Bramlett, age 68, of Fairhope, AL, formerly from Louisville, KY, passed away on Friday, November 29, 2013. He is preceded in death by his parents, Willie Lee & Floalla Bramlett. He is survived by his wife, Joan Fine Bramlett of Fairhope; brother, Kent Bramlett of Huntington, TX; brother-in-law, Wythe Fine of Jasper, AL; nieces, nephews, good friends, including Reverend Ron & Pat Higdon of Louisville, KY. He served in the U.S. Army for over four years. Twenty-five years ago, Perry Bramlett founded “C. S. Lewis for the Local Church – Interstate Ministries,” a nationwide speaking ministry on the life, works, and influence of Lewis. He was the only person in the United States who taught and wrote about Lewis as a full-time vocation. He was a graduate of Southern Seminary in Louisville and a former Pastor. He gave almost 2500 hours of talks and retreats to churches, colleges and groups in twenty-five states on Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, their friends and influences. He also lectured on other great Christian storytellers, including Frederick Buechner, Dorothy L. Sayers, and G. K. Chesterton. He was quoted and interviewed by many publications: The Christian Science Monitor, The Louisville Courier-Journal, The London Telegraph, The Oxford Times, Leadership Magazine, and Michigan Nation Public Radio. His published books include: C. S. Lewis: Life at the Center (Smyth & Helwys, 1996); Touring C. S. Lewis’ Ireland and England (Smyth & Helwys, 1998); and I Am in Fact a Hobbit: An Introduction to the Life and Work of J.R.R. Tolkien (Mercer University Press, 2003). He wrote articles, reviews, and sermons for many magazines and journals and contributed essays to The C. S. Lewis Readers’ Encyclopedia (Zondervan, 1998), The Macmillan Encyclopedia of Science, Technology, and Ethics (2006); and the four-volume C. S. Lewis, Life, Works, and Legacy (Praeger, 2007). Perry spent the last three years researching and writing a biography of William Lindsay Gresham; it is expected to be published next year. A memorial service will be held on December 13, 2013, at 11:00 a.m. at Broadway Baptist Church, 4000 Brownsboro Road, Louisville, Kentucky. A celebration of Perry’s life will be held at Page and Palette Bookstore in Fairhope, on Thursday, December 19, 2013 at 6:00 PM. It will be a time to honor Perry and his love of books and reading.