Renae Wright

Renae Lewis Wright, 90, passed away surrounded by her children on March 15, 2026. Born October 31, 1935, Halloween was always our family's favorite holiday. Renae was the oldest of four children born to Reed and Vilate Lewis in Provo, Utah.

Renae's childhood was filled with family and friends and loving memories spent with her Nana, who she absolutely adored. Renae learned at a very young age the value of hard work which she learned from her father who was in the grocery business. This served her well throughout her life.

Renae was not one to miss an activity or outing. She loved to ski in her youth and whenever she saw the snow up in the mountains she would remind you of how good a skier she once was.

Renae married Steve Knaras and they had five children together. Renae and Steve later divorced while the children were young, which required her to find employment. Renae was hired by Educators Mutual Insurance, moving up to a management position until she retired. During that time Renae met Richard Wright at a church adult singles dance. Even with a litter of kids, Richard asked Renae to marry him and was solemnized in the Salt Lake Temple. Their marriage was marked by the raising of five children into adulthood.

In retirement, Renae and Richard served for years as hosts at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building and they loved it! She also worked for years at the quilt shop at Gardner Village. Mom loved celebrating Halloween at the Village's Witches Night Out. She had the tradition of dressing up with her daughters as the Sanderson Sisters from Hocus Pocus. Her Winifred character was a crowd favorite; lines would form to take pictures with her!

Renae treasured spending time with her family. If you invited her to a grandchild's dance recital, musical, concert choir performance, baseball game or lacrosse game - she was there. When the great-grandchildren came, she was excited to cheer along and attend even more events. She was a gamer, always wanting to be on the go! To her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, she was Nana and Nana-Great. They were always so excited to see her at one of their events. They adored her! It was common knowledge that their Nana was not typical, sporting her signature hip hair style, statement earrings, and Disney cartoon sweatshirts. Nana was cool!

Renae knew her legacy was her family which made her life complete and full of purpose. She welcomed and loved everyone with whom she came in contact. Her energy, optimism and infectious smile made all those around her better for letting her be a part of their lives. Until we meet again, we love you!

Renae is survived by her children: Sherrie (Richard) Thorn of Herriman, Mike (Debbie) Knaras of Riverton, Mindy (Mark) Nydegger of Sandy, Mark (Danalee) Knaras of Stansbury Park, Matt Knaras of Lancaster, CA; 13 grandchildren and 32-1/2 great grandchildren. Preceded in death by husband Dick Wright, Steve Knaras, her parents and sisters Janet Fluehe and Linda Silva.

Funeral services will be held on Friday, March 20, 2026 at 11:00 am at Jenkins-Soffe South Valley, 1007 W. South Jordan Parkway, South Jordan, Utah with a viewing from 10:00 – 10:45 am prior to the service. Interment at Larkin Sunset Gardens.