William John Wright

Services for William John Wright, 92, a Minden resident for the past 13 years, will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday at the Carson Valley Methodist Church.

Mr. Wright died April 2, 2004, at his home in Minden following a long illness. He was born Feb. 28, 1912, at Bartholows, Md., to William Francis and Lillian Rice Wright.

He graduated from Glen Burnie High School in Glen Burnie, Md., in 1930, received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Western Maryland College in 1934, and a STB degree from Westminster Methodist Seminary in 1937.

After an 11-year career as a Methodist minister in Maryland and Pennsylvania, he traveled west in 1948 with his second wife, Helen, and settled in Reno. He worked for seven years at Sears, Roebuck and Co., after briefly working at Harold's Club and Harrah's Club.

After attending summer school at the University of Nevada and earning his teachers credential, he worked as an English teacher at Churchill County High School for three years starting in 1956, and after receiving his master's in education from the University of Nevada, Reno, he became principal until 1961. He then became principal at George Whittell High School at Zephyr Cove. He retired in 1975.

During his career at Lake Tahoe he was very active in community service and was a charter member, past president, secretary, and Paul Harris Fellow of the Tahoe Douglas Rotary Club. Mr. Wright was a former director of the Tahoe Douglas Chamber of Commerce, member of the Board of Trustees at Barton Memorial Hospital, and member of the Board of Control of the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association. An avid fisherman and golfer, he enjoyed spending the winter in Yuma, Ariz.

He was preceded in death by wife Wilson Hudson Wright, wife Helen S. Wright, and daughter Jane Lynn Richardson.

Among his survivors are his wife of 38 years, Mary of Minden; daughter, Betty Lee Wright of Hedgesville, W.Va.; sons, William Jr. of Hagerstown, Md., and David E. of Zephyr Cove; grandchildren, Casey L. Wright of Zephyr Cove, Lynn Boyer Cruise of Ridley Park, Pa., Dana Boyer Neast of Harrisburg, Pa., and Matthew R. Wright and Amy E. Wright of Hagerstown; and four great-grandchildren.

Donations may be made to account No. 6553707669, Wells Fargo Bank, in care of the Bill Wright Scholarship Fund, 1542 Highway 395 Gardnerville.

FitzHenry's Funeral Home in Gardnerville is in charge of arrangements.