Obituary for Irene Wright
IRENE WRIGHT
April 28, 1909 - February 4, 2015
Campbell Hall, NY
Irene Wright, a longtime Campbell Hall resident, died on February 4, 2015 at Valley View Nursing Center in Goshen. She was 105 years old and the matriarch of our six generation family. She provided the example for her entire family of how to live.
One of eight children, she was born on April 28, 1909 to Haggie Lee and Martha Rusha Hackett Ferguson, in Ferguson, North Carolina. Irene and Joseph Q. Wright moved from North Carolina to New York City and were married on July13, 1926. They had ten children together. After many years they moved from the Bronx and purchased a home in Campbell Hall. This home became a refuge for all friends and anyone in need. Her door was always open and she remained non-judgmental of others. People loved to be around her because she treated them with dignity and respect regardless of their station in life.
When women received the right to vote, she embarked on a life-long movement encouraging everyone to exercise their privilege to vote. She happily voted for FDR all three times he ran and never missed a vote.
In 1939, she joined the 7th Day Adventist Church and embraced their teachings. She became very active in her church and over her lifetime held many offices, but Superintendent of the Sabbath School was her favorite.
During her lifetime, Irene witnessed many changes and advances in her world; she went from riding horseback for transportation as a young woman to seeing a man land on the moon. She spent her life always bettering herself and encouraging others to do the same. She learned to swim at the age of 66, walked and studied her Bible every day and was a great gardener and herbalist.
Irene is survived by her children: Peggy Barnes, Charlotte Johnson, Jean (Gene) Caldwell, Jimmy Wright and his wife, Delores, Marie and her husband, Ray Randall, Charles (Buzzy) Wright, Rudy, David Wright and his wife, Amy; and her brother, Wayne Rhames. She is also survived by 40 grandchildren, many great-grandchildren and great-great grandchildren, as well as nieces and nephews.
She was predeceased by her husband, Joseph in 1966; her son, Joseph Jr. in 1990, and her son, Raymond in 2007.
Visitation will be from 2 to 4 p.m., with a service from 4 to 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, February 15th at Seventh Day Adventist Church, Highland Avenue, Middletown, NY 10940. A Funeral Service will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, February 17th at Applebee-McPhillips Funeral Home, Inc. Pastor Dyman will officiate. Burial will follow in the family plot in Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale.
Visitation will be from 2 to 4 p.m., with a service from 4 to 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, February 15th at Seventh Day Adventist Church, Highland Avenue, Middletown, NY 10940. A Funeral Service will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, February 17th at Applebee-McPhillips Funeral Home, Inc. Pastor Dyman will officiate. Burial will follow in the family plot in Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale.
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