Mary Elizabeth Gibbs Wright

Mary Elizabeth Gibbs Wright Was born in New Underwood, South Dakota on October 26th, 1934. She was the first child of Hazel and Delmar Gibbs. Her family moved to Chicago in 1938. They traveled across the country in 1941 two weeks after her brother Bob was born when her father (Now Dr. E. Delmar Gibbs) joined the faculty at the College of Puget Sound. Her sister Maggie was born in Tacoma in 1944. Mary entered the College of Puget Sound in the fall of 1952. She graduated in three years with a BA in Elementary Education and a Minor in Music. She married Bob Wright the day after she graduated from college, August 20th, 1955. She joined the faculty at Washington Grade School in Tacoma in September 1955, and taught there until June 1959. In May 1976 she received a M.A. in English Literature from the University of Puget Sound. Mary taught private music lessons for 15 years Son Jeff was born in December 1959. Daughter Molly was born in 1963. In 1966 the family moved to Federal way. An old Irish epitaph reads, "Here lies the part of him that can be buried." Much of Mary will live in our memories: her love of music, laughter, literature, and family. Mary is survived by husband Robert Irving Wright Jr., son Jeffery Robert Wright (Gudrun Wiebe), daughter Margaret Jean Wright Strausbaugh (Douglas Strausbaugh), brother Dr. Robert E. Gibbs (Dr. Meta Gibbs), sister Margaret A. Gibbs Tetreault (Gerry Tetreault), and grandchildren Andrew Wright, Patia Wiebe-Wright, Gabriel Wiebe-Wright, Anna Strausbaugh, and Derek Strausbaugh. A memorial celebration will be held at St. Matthew's Episcopal Church on Saturday, August 13, 2011, at 2:00pm.