Wilbert Earl Wright, of Williamsburg, victoriously and quietly died June 25, 2014, at Riverside Doctors’ Hospital, Williamsburg. He was 62.
Life began for Mr. Wright, affectionately known as “Earl” to all he touched and loved, on Nov. 14, 1951, in Halifax County, N.C. He was the third child born to Mr. Harry B. and Mrs. Ethel Wright and was raised in Grove Community, educated in Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools and graduated from James Blair High School.
He was a retired cement finisher and member of Mt. Gilead Baptist Church who also worshiped at Union Baptist Church, both of Williamsburg.
He was a very social person who lived a simple life with a few rules that guided him in life: work hard, live strong and keep your friends, the remote control and your cell phone close. He will be remembered by many as a dear friend, a close confidant, an all-assuming father and a supportive brother. He was a good friend to many and the best friend of few.
He loved people and almost always made a connection with every person he met, never meeting a stranger. He will be fondly remembered for the impact he had on others, an ability to control everyone’s remote and for his avid love of sports and Westerns. His beloved Pittsburgh Steelers were the cornerstone of many football pools. On any given Sunday during football season, you could find him lying on the couch flipping channels between games or watching Westerns, especially old episodes of Gunsmoke.
Mr. Wright could cook everything and he could make soup out of anything. He effortlessly made himself available and will always be loved for that. When there was a problem with anyone he loved, he made himself available no matter who it was and helped from the very beginning until the situation was resolved. There was absolutely nothing he would not do if he had the ability or the resources to make it happen.
For his sons, nieces and nephews, his philosophy was to let them learn their own lessons unless it put them in harm’s way, and that’s when he got involved. He never turned away anyone who needed to talk or hear an encouraging world about real life.
Mr. Wright was real, forgiving, nonjudgmental and believed in the future, not the past. Friends and family could be in Williamsburg, Richmond, Newport News, Fredericksburg, Washington, Maryland, North Carolina, Georgia, Kentucky, Florida, Texas or anywhere along the way, but for Mr. Wright, everyone was just a phone call away. He truly left piece of himself with everyone he touched.
Welcoming him into glory are his father, Harry “Mutt” Wright; brothers, Harry “Beep” Wright, Carl Wright, John (Qouvadis) Wright and James “Baby Boy” Wright; two grandmothers, Elsie Elizabeth Wright and Virginia Richards; and two grandfathers, Harry Bowman Wright, Sr. and Ophelia Richards.
He is survived by his three sons, Andre R. Thornton, of San Antonio, Brian L. Wright, of Newport News and Wilbert E. Wright, Jr., of Capitol Heights, Md.; brothers and sisters, Elsie V. Wright, Milton L. Wright (Kim), Douglas A. Wright (Joyce) Rita Wright-King (Kenneth), Robert E. Wright (Karen), David S. Wright (Christine) and Wanda Wright; uncle, Sammy Wright (Brenda), of Seattle, Wash.; aunts, Sarah Wright-Belpree, of Williamsburg, Mrs. Clemitine Boone, of Brooklyn, N.Y. and Virginia Garner, of Halifax, N.C.; former wife, Wilhelmina Leake, of Capitol Heights, Md.; lifelong friend and confidant, Janie Thornton-Garden, of Newport News; grandchildren, Brian Wright, Benear Wright, Brandon Wright, Janiya Wright and Nakhael Wright; 22 nieces and nephews; a host of great-nieces and great-nephews; many faithful cousins; and an abundant number of steadfast friends.
Mr. Wright may be viewed from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 1, 2014, at Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church, 4002 Ironbound Road, Williamsburg. A celebration of life will be held at 1 p.m. Wednesday, July 2, 2014, at the church. Family and friends will assemble one hour prior to the service at 116 Drew Road.
Please leave online condolences for the family at Whiting’s Funeral Home.
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