Lyle O. Wright

Lyle O. Wright, age 94, passed away peacefully on Monday, December 4, 2017, at home in Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania. Born February 24, 1923, in Fort Collins, Colorado, he was the second son of the late William Henry and Evalena Dorothy (Wolverton) Wright.

A World War II veteran, Lyle served with the 542nd Parachute Infantry Regiment and later joined the Navy Reserve. He majored in chemistry at Florida Southern College, and was a member of the Kappa Pi art honor society, graduating in 1949. On September 14, 1950, Lyle married Jackie C. Key in Panama City, and the couple moved to a "Vetsville" settlement while Lyle earned a chemical engineering degree at the University of Colorado at Boulder. They and their three daughters later lived in Pensacola, Quincy, and Port St. Joe, Florida, and Chalmette, Louisiana, and moved to Ohio in 1961. Lyle held positions at DuPont, Freeport Sulphur, and
Glidden before he became an aerospace engineer at NASA's Lewis Research Center in Cleveland. While at NASA, Lyle was the first president of Lewis Engineers and Scientists Association.

During retirement, Lyle and Jackie volunteered at various United Methodist Church activities, and helped out at Habitat for Humanity, Jericho, and Meals on Wheels. Well known for his love of saltwater fishing, Lyle was both an award-winning watercolorist of Florida seascapes and a spectacular photographer. Throughout his life, he sought out antique cameras and books at auctions, visited cemeteries and courthouses for genealogical information, read widely on early North American explorations and the Civil War, and enjoyed both classical and folk music. In addition, Lyle was a bicycling enthusiast, putting over 30,000 miles on his eBike.

Lyle is survived by Jackie, his beloved wife of 67 years, daughters Sarah Wright, Cindy (Tom) Hooks, and Christina Wright, grandchildren Carrie (David) Beddell, Laura Hooks, MatthewHooks, Forrest Roth, great-granddaughters Daphne and Francine Beddell, brother Paul (Kitty)Wright, sister Lois Ann Cleary, and many nieces and nephews. He is predeceased by his brothers Bill, Dale, Dwane, and Glenn Wright.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, March 24, 2018, at 11:00 a.m. at Centenary United Methodist Church, 206 N. Madison Street, Quincy.