Claudine Wright

Longtime Kenai resident Claudine Helene (Wiesmann) Coray Wright, 89, passed away Aug. 7, 2013 at Heritage Place in Soldotna.

A private service for family and friends will be announced at a later date.

Claudine was born Nov. 21, 1923 in Sonvilier, Switzerland. At age 15, she came to the U.S. to spend a year living with her aunt. World War II broke out and she was unable to return to Europe and eventually became an American citizen.

She attended San Jose State College in California, where she met and married John Coray. They moved to Alaska in 1952, teaching school in the villages of Pedro Bay, Nondalton and Port Graham before homesteading at Lake Clark in 1958. Mr. Coray died the following year and Claudine moved to Kenai, where she began a long teaching career in elementary, secondary and adult education. She remarried in 1963, to Roy Wright.

Claudine enjoyed visiting with her family, reading, and listening to classical music, particularly opera. She was fiercely independent, living in her own house until April 2013. She was a great communicator and had an expressive personality. Many noted her beautiful handwriting and appreciated the touching personal notes she included with birthday and holiday greetings. Claudine was a strong advocate of higher learning, passing on to her children that education is imperative, that books are sacred.

Claudine was preceded in death by her first husband, John and a son, Paul Coray.

She is survived by her husband, Roy Wright; sons and their spouses, Craig and Gail Coray of Lake Clark, Alaska, David Coray and Joanne Edney of Silver Salmon Creek, Alaska, and Glenn Wright and Theresa Litz of Syracuse, New York; daughter and her spouse, Anne Coray Kahn and Steve Kahn of Lake Clark, Alaska; grandchildren, Camille Coray, Willow Mason, Joshua Coray, Elijah Coray, Sarah Goodwin, Oliver Coray, Dorien Coray, Aidan Wright and Caleb Wright.

Arrangements were by Peninsula Memorial Chapel in Kenai. An online guestbook is available at www.alaskanfuneral.com.