Richard William Wright

Richard William Wright

Richard William Wright, 88, passed away on Sunday, August 21, 2022 at Eagle Crest South in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Richard ("Dick") was born to Paul E. Wright and Harriet (Gordon) Wright of rural Chatfield on March 30, 1934. Dick attended Country School District #34 for eight years. As a freshman, Dick transferred to Chatfield High School and graduated in 1952. He served on the school patrol and was a member of the Orion Challengers 4-H Club. His favorite 4-H projects involved showing his prized Brown Swiss dairy cows at the county fair.

At age 16, Dick met his high school sweetheart and future wife, (Avis) Iris Sutherland. For the remainder of their lives, only the U.S. Army could keep these two apart-and not very successfully. In 1954, Dick volunteered for the Army draft and was sent to Fort Riley, Kansas for basic training. He was later stationed in Fort Lewis, Washington and served a temporary stint at Camp Roberts, California, where he worked in the motor pool. While on leave, Dick drove his 1940's Indian motorcycle down the Pacific Coast Highway to visit Iris, who was staying with her brother in Orange County, California.

On October 26, 1955, Dick and Iris were married in the Pioneer Presbyterian Church in Chatfield on a beautiful fall day. They honeymooned in Olympia, Washington, where they lived until Dick was discharged from the Army in January 1956. They packed their 1949 Chevy to the hilt and returned to the Wright family farm in rural Chatfield.

Dick raised Brown Swiss, Black Angus, sheep, chickens, swine, corn, beans and hay. Like all farmers, Dick was a jack-of-all-trades. Depending on the day and season, as the consummate farmer, he was part: horticulturist, veterinarian, mechanic, carpenter, cowboy, and poker player extraordinaire (assessing the variables-the weather, the market and a thousand other things-and then making a decision based upon a leap of faith). No matter the vocational hat or the daily challenge, Dick loved the farm and dedicated his life's energy to it.

Dick took Farm Finance bookkeeping classes offered through an Army program for two years. He served on the Rochester Township Dairy Calf Board, Chatfield Creamery Board, American Legion, and Orion Township Supervisor Board. He was also a Session member at the Pioneer Presbyterian Church.

In 2002, Dick and Iris moved to Onalaska, WI, where they attended the Sand Lake Wesleyan Church. In 2010, they split their time between Onalaska and the farm. Two years later, they left Wisconsin and moved to Bench Street in Chatfield. Dick and Iris returned to Wisconsin in 2019.

Dick was an intelligent, kind, and honorable man with a firm handshake and a quick smile. He loved history, reading, Sunday drives, a hard day's work, a good joke, and of course, his family.

Dick is survived by his loving wife of 66+ years, Iris, and his children: Ernie (Julie) Wright, Morgan Jane Wright, Elizabeth Wright (Robert Smith) and Tom (Maria) Wright. Dick and Iris have seven grandchildren: Amanda, Ethan, Isaac, Luke, Paul, Peter, and Leo, and two great-grandchildren. Dick was preceded in death by his parents and his brother (P. Edwin Wright).

Thank you to the wonderful staff at Eagle Crest South MC4. They provided Dick with more than care-they gave him a quality life wrapped in kindness.

A Funeral Service will be held at Chatfield Lutheran Church in Chatfield, MN on Friday, August 26, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. with Pastor Nissa Peterson officiating. Visitation will be held at the Church an hour prior to the service. Burial will be in the Chatfield Cemetery.

Riley Funeral & Cremation Service is assisting the Wright Family with arrangements.

Online condolences are welcome at rileyfuneralhomes.com.

If Heaven has tractors, we know Dad is driving through his beloved fields and feeling the peace of a life well lived.