After a life of love, adventure, and inspiring others to realize their full potential, Perch (Percy) Francis Ducote, 75, passed away peacefully on August 25, 2023, at his home in New York City.
Perch was an incredible listener and a deeply compassionate soul. He had a unique ability to make others aware of their own goodness, wisdom, and power to make a difference. He saw communication as our greatest gift and spent his life exploring, refining, and sharing how best to harness this resource for personal, social, and global change. His love for New York City was unrivaled. Washington Square Park was essentially his backyard and MOMA and the Metropolitan Museum of Art were where he found joy and inspiration. Friends knew that walking with Perch meant frequent stops to marvel at the city’s architecture, public spaces, and passersby. “We are so lucky,” he’d exclaim.
Perch was born and raised in the small farming community of Cottonport, Louisiana. But his curiosity, sense of adventure, and calling to serve took him all over the globe. After enlisting in the Air Force, he was stationed in Anchorage, Alaska. Upon completion of his military service, he moved to Los Angeles where, after a transformational, three-month backpacking trip through Europe, he began his quest to discover the power of authentic communication. He immersed himself in programs such as the Advocate Experience and Landmark Education. This launched his remarkable career as a management consultant, coach, and workshop facilitator.
Perch worked with executive and leadership teams for Eli Lilly, Dell Computers, and the Dialog Group; and was posthumously named a founder of IMAGINE. He was a volunteer and consultant for global NGOs such as The Hunger Project, and was deeply concerned with the plight of impoverished and displaced children. As such, he was enormously committed to The Miracle Foundation. He provided leadership training to both the US and India teams and traveled to India six times in support of Miracle Foundation’s mission to reunite children with their families. Many of the children, now adults, remember Perch’s playful, kind presence.
A wide and diverse group of people all over the world came to rely on Perch for deep listening and a unique ability to always reconnect them to their vision. He had a special talent for seeing what truly mattered to each person, surfacing it then giving it back to them as a gift. In the process, he transformed countless moments and countless lives. Perch lived inside of the question “Who am I?” And it translated to a persistent and loving curiosity — to “who are you?” — with everyone he met and in all of his communications.
In 2002, he wrote and published “The Soul of Communication,” a clear and practical distillation of the approach he learned and developed over decades. The ideas and tools he shared were informed by his training and participation in many disciplines. The back cover description invites us to examine “…the mystery and beauty of communication and the huge impact it has on our lives.” Perch’s book has since been used by consultants, coaches, and workshop facilitators as a reference in developing programs of their own.
Perch leaves behind a loving and supportive family including Annette Ducote Busch, Bill Busch, Teresa Ducote Luke, Skipper Luke, Theodore (Ted) Ducote, Aletha St. Romain, Frederick (Ricky) Ducote, and his nieces, nephews, and cousins. As well, he leaves behind a global community of devoted friends, including his beloved Sacred Circle, the “Witches,” and dear, longtime companions, Siddhi Ellinghoven and Kyan Douglas.
He was preceded in death by his father Lawrence Hebert Ducote, mother Narcille Lemoine Ducote Johnson, step-father Randall Vance Johnson, twin brother Lawrence (Larry) Ducote and brother Randall (Randy) Vance Johnson Jr.