Julius “Don” Wright, 86, was born on Nov. 15, 1930, in Garden City, KS to Julius and Maude (Campbell) Wright. The family moved several times during Don’s childhood and he lived in several towns in Missouri, Iowa and Kansas before settling in Jerico Springs in 1943.
Don graduated from El Dorado Springs High School in 1948. He received his teaching certificate and taught at Fairview School in Osirus for one year and well as other small schools in the area.
Don met Dorothy Lindquist, his wife of 65 years when she was a senior in high school in Stockton. They married on Sept. 1, 1951, and moved to Kansas City. Shortly after they married, Don was drafted into the United States Army. He was stationed at Fort Bliss, TX for a few months and Dorothy lived with him in Texas. He was originally set to go to battle in Korea but the Army was desperate for clerical staff during the war and when they found out Don was good at typing and filing, they sent him to Japan to maintain paperwork and files for the military while the rest of his company went to battle. Dorothy moved back to Jerico for the duration of Don’s military service to be near family. When Don was discharged from the military, he and Dorothy moved to the Kansas City area.
Their only child, David, was born in October of 1960. Don and Dorothy lived for 40 years in Independence until moving closer to family in Windsor in 2005.
Don was baptized as an adult and remained faithful to the Lord his entire life. He became an ordained Baptist minister and preached for a short time before moving on to other callings in life.
Don worked for over 40 years as a machinist at Allis Chalmers in Kansas City and retired around 1982. He and Dorothy ran a ceramics business out of their basement and then retired from that and started a quilting business for many years. Always meticulous about everything he did, he was an excellent quilter and even did detailed hand quilting using the tiniest of stitches.
He loved fishing, cooking, storytelling, picking pecans, gardening and being with family. His love of children was obvious as his hearty deep laugh could be heard throughout the house when kids were running about.
The last year of Don’s life was spent at the home of their son in Land O’Lakes, FL. Don passed away on Dec. 22, 2016, into the arms of our Lord with friends at his side.
Preceded in death are Don’s parents, Julius and Maude Wright; a brother, Dennis, and his mother and father in law, Carl and Ola Lindquist.
Survivors include his wife, Dorothy, of the home; son, David; and daughter-in-law, Donna; a grandson, David Scott; and his wife, Luna; two great -granddaughters, Lilly and Julia; a sister and brother-in-law, Donna and Gaylord Wallace; sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Carlene and Paul LeeMasters; a brother-in-law, Jim; and sister-in-law Jennifer; 11 nieces and nephews; 24 great-nieces and great- nephews; 27 great-great-nieces and great-great-nephews and five great-great-great-nieces and great-great-great-nephews.
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