Paul Newton Wright

Paul Newton Wright was Promoted to Glory on February 25, 2026, and is now in the presence of the Lord.

He was born on October 17, 1936, to the late Jasper Newton and Florence Holt Wright, in what would be his lifetime residence.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Jasper and Florence; brothers, William Jasper "Bill" Wright, Sr. (Hazel); Herbert Coleman "Bucky" Wright, Sr. (Katie); nephews, William J. Wright, Jr.; USMC Lance Cpl. Herbert Coleman Wright Jr.; niece, Kay Frances Cessna (Jack); and great nephew Bill Wright.

He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Patricia Jenkins Wright of the home; great niece, Shelly Wright of Weaverville, NC; his very special lifelong friends, Don McDougle (Mary) of Lebanon, TN; Ken Elliott (Marilyn) of Albuquerque, NM; Ted Byrd (Jeanette) of Asheville, NC; and Rev. John Sexton of Hendersonville, NC.

Paul was a member of The Salvation Army Church, Haywood Road, West Asheville, NC. He was also a member of Mensa, Intertel, Black Mountain Masonic Lodge No. 663, and Sons of Confederate Veterans.

Paul was a proud member of the last graduating class of Black Mountain High School, Class of 1954. He was an original trumpet-playing member of the newly formed Black Mountain High School Band in 1951, which was to become the Owen High School Band.

He graduated from Asheville-Biltmore Junior College and completed his B.S. degree in Accounting at Western Carolina University. He was employed with Weaver & Shaver CPAs as Accountant/Auditor; Highland Hospital as Medicare Accountant; Kearfott Corp. as General Accountant; NC Alcoholic Rehabilitation Center as Assistant Business Manager; and UNC-Asheville as Accountant until his retirement in 1999.

He had a phenomenal memory and enjoyed telling stories of his life growing up in his father's store (Wright's Feed and Seed) in Black Mountain. Paul received several awards from the NC Poetry Society and had a book of poetry, "A Flight from Grey Eagle" published in 2009. He also enjoyed creating plays-on-words, puns, jokes, and drawing cartoons for several publications. Decoding cryptograms was a great favorite.

He loved animals, especially cats, and helped support organizations dedicated to all animals' protection and well-being. His property has been designated a Natural Wildlife Habitat to help preserve a variety of plants and animals.

The family will receive friends on Monday, March 2, 2026, from 11:00am to 12:00pm at Harwood Home for Funerals in Black Mountain, NC. A celebration of life service will immediately follow at 12:00pm at the funeral home with Major(s) Mark and Mary Satterlee and Major(s) Jonathan and Amanda Raymer, Salvation Army Ministers officiating. The burial will be in Mountain View Memorial Park. For those unable to attend, the service will be livestreamed at: https://together.oneroomstreaming.com/23FYKT.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to The Salvation Army, https://www.salvationarmyusa.org/nc/asheville/haywood-rd-corps/.