Darrel A. Wright Jr.

1945 - 2018

Darrel A. Wright Jr.

Mukilteo, WA. - Darrel A. Wright, Jr. passed away peacefully, in his sleep, on January 12, 2018. He was surrounded by his beloved family. He had suffered and fought a long battle with cancer.

Darrel was born in Long Beach, California on May 23, 1945 to Darrel A. Wright, Sr, and Mary Frances (Woodside) Wright. He was one of four children in an Air Force military family. Darrel was predeceased by his parents, Darrel A. Wright, Sr., Mary Frances (Woodside) Wright and brother, Jim Wright. He is survived by his wife Jacqueline (Elliott) Wright, children Cory Wright and Shannon Magin; brother, Tom Wright; sister, Debbie Reynolds; and grandchildren Katie Magin, Keisha Magin; Simone Wright, Celine Wright and Gavin Wright.

Darrel's military family moved frequently, living in Valdesta, Georgia, Selma, Alabama, Orlando, Florida, and Lakenheath, Montana. Darrel graduated high school in Great Falls, Montana and enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in September of 1963. He served as a Marine for four years starting out as a Private and elevated to Sargent by the time of his discharge, four years later. While in the Marines he worked at the San Diego Recruitment Department, Camp Pendleton, and then was stationed in Okinawa. He served two Tours of Duty in England and one in Germany prior to serving in Vietnam from 1965 - 1966. After his service in Vietnam he was assigned as an Inspector & Instructor - Staff Duty in Reno, Nevada until the end of his military career. He was Honorably Discharged in 1967 and received a medal of Good Conduct.

Darrel married Jacqueline Elliott on August 5th, 1967. They had a long-lasting, loving relationship for just over 50 years. They were a strong team during their entire marriage. They successfully raised two children, Cory Wright and Shannon (Wright) Magin.

After his military service, Darrel attended the University of Nevada, Reno and attained his Bachelor and Master's degree in Education. During those years he worked various sales jobs and as a technician in the Sea and Ski laboratory. Darrel was employed with Washoe County School District from 1980 until his retirement in 2004. During his tenure with the school district, he began his teaching career as a Biology and Chemistry teacher at Hug High School. In September 1988 he moved into Administration becoming the Assistant Principal at Reno High School. He returned to Hug High School as the Assistant Principal in 1989. He finished his Administrative career as an Assistant Principal at Galena High School in 2004. Altogether he worked in the Washoe County School District for 24 years.

Darrel was very religious throughout his life. He was especially meticulous with his Bible and his faith towards the end of his life. His relationship with God was one of the most important aspects of his life. Every day he would wake up, make his tea, and begin reading his Bible. He was an avid reader throughout his life. He would always read at night before retiring for the evening. He had many loves in his life: his wife; his family; long trips to the store; hours of shopping; working in his yard; outdoor hobbies and work. He also loved fishing with his brother Jim and his son Cory. He had great joy in sitting and waiting for the fish to bite while make making jokes to pass the time with whomever he was fishing. He preferred to spend most of his time at home with his family. He was always home before dinner and every weekend.

A memorial Service will be held on Friday, February 23rd, 2018, at 11:00 a.m. at the Sparks United Methodist Church, 1231 Pyramid Way, Sparks, NV 89431. A reception will follow at the same location. The burial will be held at Mountain View Cemetery, 425 Stoker Avenue, Reno, NV 89503, with full military honors at 2:00 p.m. Friends and relatives are invited to attend.

In lieu of flowers, please make financial donations in Darrel's memory to: Make A Wish Foundation, 1 East Liberty Avenue, Suite 600, Reno, NV 89501.Additional Contact information for the Make A Wish Foundation is: phone: (775) 826-8008 or email: info@necannv.wish.org.