Linda M. Wright

Linda M. Wright, 85, of Aldine, NJ, went home to be with her Lord on February 19, 2026. Born in Salem, NJ on November 11, 1940, she was the daughter of the late Karl Simkins and Ethel Simkins (née Mood). Linda was a 1958 graduate of Woodstown High School, and she went on to earn her Bachelor's Degree in Early Childhood Education from Elizabethtown College. Linda's teaching career spanned 24 years, primarily as a Sixth Grade Teacher, including time at the Alloway Township School where she met her first husband Charles F. Dodge and at the Upper Pittsgrove Township School where she was awarded "Teacher of the Year". Linda then went on to serve as Head Teacher at the Hourani Preschool in Elmer for many years and from which she retired in 2002. She was also a devoted member of the Hardingville Bible Church.

Linda was a loving, energetic, beautiful person who was the true cornerstone of her family. She loved cooking, hosting gatherings, documenting life through photos, letter writing, pinochle card games, traveling, and most of all spending time with family and friends, notably at her home just "down the lane" from where she was raised on a dairy farm. All who knew Linda were fortunate to be graced with her energy, time, and love which she gave to help so many in her very wide circle of family, friends, church members, and acquaintances. Wherever she went she engaged all with her smile, bright eyes, and good nature.

Linda enjoyed music and loved singing, both at church and with a choir, as well as playing the piano and the organ. If you stood next to her in church while singing a hymn, she might naturally begin to harmonize with you, reflecting the way she was able to easily establish bonds with many people she encountered in her life. Her strong faith in God carried her through difficult times and she always set a great example by acting with courage and equanimity when times were tough. She felt truly blessed in her life and often expressed that sentiment, in spite of any challenges she had to face over time.

Linda is survived by her loving husband Wayne W. Wright, who was by her side for 46 years as they navigated life together, with two of those years at Loring Air Force Base in Maine, four years in Spokane, Washington, and many years in Elmer, New Jersey. She is also survived by her sons William C. Dodge and his wife Irene, James T. Dodge, Matthew W. Wright and his wife Dawn, daughters Lynette Simon, Lori Otto and her husband Alan; her grandchildren Claire and Alison Dodge, Kara Sapp Sontag and her husband Bryan, Hannah Sapp, Charles Sapp, Alyse Lopez and her husband James, Brock Beluardo and his wife Kaitlyn, Kylie Wright, Mia Janowski and her husband Logan, Kevin Simon, Bryan Berkland, and Andrew and Austin Otto; great-grandchildren Gabriel Sontag, Maci and Madi Lopez, and Cooper Beluardo; siblings Mary Shiveler, Sara Crispin, and Karl Simkins and his wife Alberta; sisters-in-law Peggy Simkins and Micheline Dodge; and many special nieces and nephews. In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by her husband Charles F. Dodge, daughter Julie Dodge Sapp, sister Anna M. Simkins, brother Oscar A. Simkins II, and in-laws Clifford Crispin, Russell Shiveler, Russell Dodge, George Wright and his wife Rose, and Robert Wright and his wife Dot.

A visitation will be held on Thursday night, February 26, 2026 from 6 to 8 PM at Adams Funeral Home, 64 Broad Street, Woodstown, NJ 08098. There will be another visitation on Friday morning, February 27, 2026 from 10 to 11 AM at the Hardingville Bible Church, 979 Whig Lane, Monroeville, NJ 08343 followed by the funeral service, also at the church. Interment will follow the service at the Aldine United Methodist Church Cemetery, 780 Friesburg Aldine Rd, Elmer, NJ 08318. There will be a social gathering held in the Aldine United Methodist Church gym immediately following the interment.

Please share condolences at www.adamsfuneralhome.org.