Rev. Dr. William Farmer Wright Jr.

Happy Birthday, Dad! I found this picture of you in brother Bill's photo album, "A Lifetime of Trout Fishing"... you were the one who first led us all outdoors! Miss you and love you always.

Happy Birthday, Dad! November 6th will always be a special day to us Wright kids. I recently saw the PBS program, "Journey to Palomar", and marveled at what it must have been like to be a young person when a series of the biggest earth-based telescopes were being built... No wonder astronomy became your passion! I still follow the stars too...

I had almost forgotten that it was on Dec. 3 two years ago that Dad passed on to the Nearer Presence... Tonight I needed to cut some saran wrap, and reached for the antique scissors that he sharpened up for Mom about 15 years ago (I keep them handy in my desk drawer). They cut it clean, on the first pass! Dad, you always delighted in keeping things in tip-top shape... a little message for us in those scissors: "Keep your edge!" What a wonderful reminder of you both. Love always!

After Dad's passing in late 2005, I decided to take a two month journey to south america that would commemorate the values he instilled in me. I kept a running blog of the trip, and the final entry ended with the following. Much of what I learned from this man has saved me from any mediocrity I am prone to.

I am Wid's youngest, David. There's so much I could write, now that its been a while for me to recover. So, I'll start with this, which I wrote soon after Dad passed away:



“In December 2005, I was orphaned upon the death of my father, the Rev. Dr. William Farmer Wright, Jr. He was 81. As I prepared for his funeral, I tried to get my mind around the life that had been his, especially the years before I arrived on the scene, and the years after I left his household. I couldn’t. Over the years, as I grew, I knew him as many men, each one revealed as my eyes became able to see more and more of who he was. I miss my dad.”

It's taken me a long time to come to this page....sometimes, it takes a while to get one's thoughts together....in this case, a long time................my memories of Wid start with when he first came for dinner to our home (I think it was before Anne and he married.....kind of a shakedown cruise))....Mom was a nervous wreck that "Bill" was coming for dinner (altho she cooked for 100's at school without blinking an eye)......I remember she served Hollandaise sauce and Anne asked her what it was and she almost died... I guess she wanted to pretend we always served it.........but it was then that Joan and I fell in love with Wid.....he was so gracious and good-looking as well......to us, he was the knight in shining armor that whisked our sister on to the castle (who knew it was in Ohio?)....we were 13 and 15 at the time.......he flirted with us and that sealed it forever.....that grin with those eyes........and you know, that image of him never dimmed over the years......we, happily, had many visits back and forth thru the years with all our children at different ages (my children still think that David's voice came out from the top of his head...shrieking!he was two....).....Anne and Wid were a perfect match in that they were both curious about the whole world and everything in it......I have been reading in the back of the Book of Common Prayer these last few days and am struck by the Ordination of Ministers readings.....how well he served the Church! Both he and Anne worked together as a team both at home and in the church...what a blessing they were to me and to all those whose lives they touched....I miss them both and will remember them always.

Wid and I were second cousins, related through our great grandparents, Hugh Wright and Adeline Hurlbut Wright. We met through our mutual interest in genealogy and the warmth and love I felt for Anne and Wid was always returned. I met Joyce only once but, again, felt the presence of a warm and generous person.

In 1980 Wid and I stood together at the site of our great grandfather Hugh's homestead cabin in the Colorado Rockies--rebuilt on the same foundation, and now inhabited by others. It was, for us, a significant milestone as we had grown up years apart in distant places, yet shared the dream of one day finding this place and of learning more about our family history.

Though I mourn our loss, I find joy in believing Wid is reunited with those he loves--and hope that he also is in the company of Hugh Wright.

Peace and Joy, Wid. Judi

It was always a 'good time' when Aunt Anne and Uncle Wid would come into town with Vinnie, Widdie (Bill), Jonathan and David. We all loved the fun and craziness of having 8 kids and 5 adults (Mom, Dad, Aunt Anne, Uncle Wid and Granddaddy) all in the house at the same time. Then, a trip to Aunt Joan’s to see all of her gang just topped off the fun. Uncle Wid always had a smile on his face and ‘ready to go’ to ‘do just about anything any one else wanted to do’. I will always remember him as the uncle who wanted everyone to have a great time! He will be missed by all.

Love to all,

Debbie

I remember when Uncle Wid came from Arizona for Pop-Pop's funeral,in 1975. I was 10 years old and a little confused as to what was going on. You see Pop-Pop lived with us and I saw him fall and then I never saw him again after they took him to the hospital. So, here comes Uncle Wid trying to console a little girl and as any good Episcopalian Mininster would do he got down on the floor and taught me to shoot craps. Might not be the norm but for me it was the best thing that had happened and obviously made an impression. My sympathies to all of you..he was a wonderful Uncle.

Love, Jackie Wilson Farber