James "Jim" Oliver Berry Wright

James "Jim" Wright

January 27, 1928 – March 13, 2026

Sequatchie, Tennessee

James Oliver Berry Wright (Jim), died at home in Sequatchie, Tennessee on March 13, 2026.

He was surrounded by his wife and 4 generations of family.

Jim was born on January 27, 1928, in Atlanta, Georgia to Gertrude Whittier Wright and Douglas Berry Wright. He was the middle child of 5. Jim graduated from Georgia Tech with a degree in Chemical Engineering. After college he moved to Chattanooga for work and met his bride Emily Byington. They were wed at Thankful Memorial Episcopal Church and had 4 children and a full life together.

In 1951 Jim’s work started at TN Products and Chemical Corp. where he quickly made a name for himself as a person who could solve problems that other people could not. Throughout his career Jim worked as a researcher, engineer and consultant. He helped create processes and designed chemical plants. He was a member of the American Chemical Society for 60 years and president of the Chattanooga Chapter for a time.

In the 1970’s he served on the Chattanooga Pollution Control Board and played a vital role in helping cleanup of one of the most polluted cities in the country. Jim served his community in many ways. At Thankful Memorial he served on the vestry, taught Sunday school, sang in the choir, and rebuilt the Tracker organ. In Sequatchie he served on the board of the Sequatchie Volunteer Fire Department.

Jim was born a deep and independent thinker, unencumbered by conventional thought and educational norms. He was a dreamer and a problem solver extraordinaire, an inventor, a philosopher, an artist, a builder, a plumber and electrician, a carpenter, a stone mason, a teacher, a learner, and a wonderful father and husband. He was playful and mischievous. He knew no bounds. He wrote up theories about the origin of the universe and liked the idea of challenging some of Einstein’s theories. In his retirement he wrote his own computer programs in response to what he thought were short comings of Bill Gates’ ideas. He wrote books and pamphlets solving all of the world’s problems. He wrote countless letters to the editor.

Formative to Jim’s character were his experiences on his Uncle Roger’s farm on the Chattahoochee, where as a boy he worked with his younger brother Oliver, and at the magical place in the North Georgia mountains called Tate, where his grandmother had built a house for him and his siblings to share. Jim’s creative genius took root at Tate when his and Emily’s house burned to the ground in the mid-1960s. Jim made rebuilding their house the family project that helped raise his children.

In the early 1990s Jim and Emily and daughter Miriam and son-in-law Bill created from scratch what is now the Sequatchie Cove Farm. In Sequatchie Jim’s love of family and the land found an inspirational playground. His wit and whimsy, his joy of life and his spirit is found in all the nooks and crannies on the farm. It is there to last and to be an inspiration for us all.

Jim is survived by his beloved wife Emily, his children Rose Bradford (Bill), Miriam Keener (Bill), Oliver Wright (Ann), Louise Wright (Olivier Landa) his grandchildren Brad Bradford (Mandy), Emily Bradford (Shane Stone), Douglas Bradford (Chastity), Katherine Kerns (Morgan), Ann Keener (Mike Mayo), Kelsey Keener (Ashley), Elizabeth Wright, Andrew Wright, Max Landa, Conrad Landa, Asher Landa, and his great grandchildren Olivia Bradford, Madelynn Bradford, Sonora Kerns, Sawyer Kerns, Gregory Bradford, Fletcher Keener, Oliver Keener and Ella Mae Keener.

In lieu of flowers, donations to the following would be appreciated:

Marion County Community Ministries - http://mccmfbgn.org

Sequatchie Volunteer Fire Department – https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/your-blessings-help-keep-families-safe--3

Appalachian Conservation Institute – http://appalachianconservation.org

The Memorial Service will be held on April 18, 2026, at 11am Central time at Christ Church Episcopal in South Pittsburg, Tennessee.

Arrangements are entrusted to Rogers Funeral Home, 400 Laurel Avenue, South Pittsburg, Tennessee 37347 (423) 837-7176.