Charles E. "Eddy" Wright

1916 - 2011

Farewell to the Kittitas Valley

Longtime Badger Pocket ranchers Charles E. (Eddy) Wright and Aubrey (A.K.) Wright passed away in the month of May 2011 within days of one another. Eddy would have been 95 in June and Aubrey would have celebrated his 93rd birthday in September. Eddie's final days were spent in Ellensburg and Aubrey's in West Seattle.

Before and during World War II the Wrights were in the hog ranching business in Oxnard, California and Port Orchard and Kennewick, Washington. A close knit family, three Wright brothers and their father, Frank, bought the 600-acre Willow Springs Farm in the Badger Pocket area of the Kittitas Valley in 1949 and farmed it for the next three decades. The brothers sold most of their acreage in the late 1970's, retaining 80 acres and a home to retire in. Semi-retired, Eddy and Billy stayed on in the Kittitas Valley raising feeder cattle, until Eddy decided to fully retire at the age of eighty-six and Billy at 89.
When the majority of the property was sold in the 70's, Aubrey felt that he was too young to retire. He went back to aircraft mechanic's school and became certified as a jet aircraft mechanic and aviation inspector. He and his wife, Bettina, took a job with an international aircraft leasing company and traveled the world for 7 years. Aubrey trained foreign mechanics to work on the company's Boeing 707 jets while Bettina set up the flight stations in each country and managed the finances related to leasing the jets.

Eddy and Aubrey were World War II Navy veterans, both serving in the Pacific Theater. Just out of high school, the brothers had moved to Inglewood, California to attend the California Flyers School of Aeronautics. The two earned their Airframe & Powerplant (A&P) certifications and started working in their trades at various airfields. Aubrey took a job with the civil service in California, and was transferred to Fort Wainwright, an army base in Fairbanks, Alaska. Just a few months after starting his new job, Japan invaded the Aleutian Islands in Alaska. Aubrey enlisted in the Navy. The military so desperately needed aircraft mechanics during the war, that Aubrey bypassed basic training altogether. An experienced aircraft mechanic, the Navy gave him the rank of Petty Officer Second Class and issued him a box of tools. He was immediately assigned the duties of maintaining aircraft and flying as a flight engineer in the Aleutian Islands. After a series of grueling battles to take back Japanese held islands in the Aleutians, the U.S. became concerned that Japan may invade the Soviet Union, despite the Soviet's stance of neutrality with Japan. As a result of this perceived threat, many meetings took place between U.S. and Russian military commanders in Alaska. Aubrey's duties included ferrying around American admirals to meet their Russian counterparts in Alaska, where the weather was often more dangerous than the enemy itself. After only 18 months of active duty, Aubrey was promoted to Chief Petty Officer. Aubrey stayed in the Naval Air Reserves for 30 years, and retired as a Senior Chief Petty Officer. He also retired as leader of his squadron, which was based out of Sand Point Naval Air Station, an airfield created in the '20s as an "air umbrella" to protect the naval bases and yards in the Puget Sound area. He spent his final years at the Alki Adult Family Home in Seattle and enjoyed his life to the fullest.
Eddy served in the Navy as an aviation machinist mate aboard the USS Takanis Bay, an escort aircraft carrier based in San Diego, California, where he qualified new pilots for carrier landings. He was a plane captain responsible for the maintenance of an assigned aircraft. After Eddy was discharged from the Navy he lived in Astoria, Oregon for several years, where he worked as a civilian employee of the Navy in the supply department at Tongue Point Naval Station.

Eddy Wright loved farming and living in the Badger Pocket. He had been a gifted musician for his entire life, and while in Ellensburg, he played the banjo, mandolin, and guitar with the "Old Time Fiddlers" for many years. One of his favorite "gigs" was performing for the folks living at the Mountain View Meadows retirement community. Ironically, he eventually retired to Mountain View Meadows and got to enjoy listening to the "Old Time Fiddlers" play for him.

Their father Frank, mother Cora, sister Zelma, and eldest brother, Billy all preceded Eddy and Aubrey in death. Aubrey was also preceded in death by, his wife of 60 years, Bettina, and is survived by two children, Barbara and Wayne, and his grandson, Andrew. Eddy chose to remain a bachelor his entire life. Both are survived by their younger brother Dr. George Wright, nieces and nephews and grand nephews.
Both brothers will be missed.
 The Wright family wishes to express their heartfelt gratitude to all of the people who helped care for Aubrey at the Alki Adult Family home and Eddy at Mountain View Meadows with a special thanks to the ResCare private caregivers.