William (Stan/Bill) Stanley Wright

Major William (Stan/Bill) Stanley Wright died on July 15, 2024, at the age of 83.

He was driven by his passion for engineering and planes and highly focused on his objectives. These qualities served him well in the United States Marine Corps. He began his interest in the military by attending military school in Port Deposit, Maryland. Before earning his degree in aeronautical engineering from the University of Michigan in Ann Harbor, he received an appointment to the Air Force Academy, where he spent his freshman year.

After college, he re-entered the military on a commission and set his sights on flying jets. After successfully completing flight school, he served two tours in Vietnam. Once the war was over, he returned to the States and became a test pilot.

As a naval fighter pilot, he had the opportunity to see things and places he would have never seen. He flew the following planes: F-4B, D-3, F-4N, F-4S, F-4, A-4M, and TA-4. He flew over 200 missions, earned two Distinguished Flying Cross Awards, 11 air medals, and the Navy commendation medal, and retired from the service after 42 long years.

After leaving the military, he worked for McDonald Douglas and Lockheed Martin on various military jets, including the F-18 Hornet and the AV-8B Harrier.

Retirement never saw him slow down. He consulted on projects for various companies in the United States and Canada. He spent numerous hours in his real estate adventures, Tempest Development, and continued to travel and explore new areas.

For the past two years, he worked closely with his brother Charles (Chuck) Wright on a project to reach military personnel with traumas that might cause harm to themselves. He spent hours talking to people, both veterans and citizens, to bring awareness to this issue by sharing his story. He had remained silent from his experience in the Vietnam War, so this was a very cathartic place for him.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Mae and Steve Wright, his Sister-in-law, Judy Wright, his wife's parents, and her brother.

He is survived by his wife, Lily, and her son, his wife, and their three children. He is also survived by his brothers, Stephen (Steve) and Charles (Chuck) Wright, and their children, Scott, Doug, Jeff, Sean, and Tobin, including their spouses and children. He is also survived by his two daughters, Elizabeth Mae (Wright) Stuckey and her husband Greg, and granddaughter, Suzanna Margaret Stuckey. His other daughter, Johanna Ozanne Wright-Vines, and her husband, Rodney Vines. Margaret Ireene Hoover also survives him.

The family asks that, in lieu of flowers, please consider donating to:

Traumas and Suicide Prevention for Warriors by Warriors.

Your donation will help to buy more books in which the stories of survival by veterans can be shared with other veterans contemplating doing themselves harm. (How can we share this information, aka where to mail, seems inappropriate here.)

Fly high Tempest. We got your six.